If storytelling is supposed to be our superpower, why do so many agencies sound the same? Slick creds decks. Buzzword soup. Another “authentic” campaign that looks like the last five. It’s all starting to blur.
Meanwhile, the smartest brands aren’t waiting around. They’re acting like media companies, building their own platforms, growing real communities, putting work into the world that actually means something. And agencies? Too many are still sat waiting for briefs.
The ones who thrive move differently. They’ve got a voice. A perspective. They build a following. It’s not a romantic notion—it’s where the industry is heading.
From client-hunting to community-building
Having worked across both media and advertising, I’ve always found it strange how differently they operate—especially when it comes to voice. Media brands don’t wait to be told what to say. They lead. They provoke. That’s why people follow them, long before any advertisers show up.
Agencies often do the opposite. They reference culture more than they create it. That’s why the subdivision agencies at media brands like Dazed, Gay Times, and Hypebeast are working with Moncler, Nike, and Calvin Klein. Their branded content doesn’t feel like an ad campaign, it feels like it’s contributing to a conversation that’s already happening.
When I launched my agency, I took cues from that mindset. We didn’t wait for permission. We built like a media brand would, developing a voice, a look, and a collection of things people actually wanted to wear, share, or talk about.
That creative direction set the tone before our first intro call. It let us build a creative community around a perspective, not just to attract clients, but to connect with like-minded creatives and collaborators.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: People don’t just buy capability. They buy conviction.
What agencies can learn from media brands
Media brands don’t just react to culture, they move it forward. If agencies want to stay relevant, they need to do the same. Here’s what that looks like.
Don’t just list what you do. Show us what you stand for. What do you believe in? What are you against? What are you building that didn’t exist before?
