{"id":14166,"date":"2026-05-22T20:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/?p=14166"},"modified":"2026-05-27T19:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:28:17","slug":"the-agency-brand-disconnect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/the-agency-brand-disconnect\/","title":{"rendered":"The Agency-Brand Disconnect"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Agency Partnership<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Agency-Brand Disconnect<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Critical insights on modern client relationships<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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of agency relationships are project-based<\/div>\t\t\t
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of brands want agencies to bring more ideas<\/div>\t\t\t
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of strategy moving in-house for cost savings<\/div>\t\t\t
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The Perception Gap<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What brands want vs what agencies think<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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of brands want fresh ideas<\/div>\t\t\t
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of agencies think brands want fresh ideas<\/div>\t\t\t
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41% Disconnect<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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  • Agencies have a signifiant opportunity to strengthen relationships through proactive strategic thinking<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Source: w3 Awards Research<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    So,\u00a0what\u2019s happening?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Do brands want a bigger strategic partner,\u00a0or not?
    And is it worth it, or not?
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    We asked our Leap Group CEO, Alan\u00a0Gilleo\u00a0his thoughts on agency\/brand partnerships, what they should look like, and their overall value.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    What gets in the way of real agency partnerships and what uncomfortable truths do companies need to hear about how they manage agencies?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    The biggest barrier is control, disguised as risk management. Companies say they want strategic partners, but:\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    They limit access to data<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    They over-direct creative and strategy<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    They optimize for internal alignment over market impact<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The uncomfortable truth: Most brands say they want a partner, but what they really want is a vendor that thinks like a partner, but behaves like an employee.
    Can\u2019t have both. If your agency isn\u2019t pushing back, you\u2019ve trained them not to.<\/p>

    And then there\u2019s one subject that doesn\u2019t get talked about enough: budget transparency. Too many brands make agencies guess, or worse, deliberately withhold budget to \u201csee what they come up with.\u201d<\/p>

    That creates misaligned thinking.
    If you want a real partner:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Give them a budget or at least clear guardrails<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Be honest about constraints and expectations<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Let them solve within reality, not hypotheticals<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    We\u2019ve seen every budget level. We don\u2019t judge. That\u2019s not the job.<\/p>\n

    Our job is to maximize value within whatever budget exists. <\/p>\n

    Your job is to determine if that value is worth it. When budgets are hidden, you don\u2019t get better ideas, you get wasted time, misalignment, and solutions that were never viable to begin with. <\/p>\n

    The more an agency knows, the more creative solutions they can bring to the table. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Where do you see brands leaving the most value on the table in agency relationships, and what should they be expecting from their agencies that they aren\u2019t getting today?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Two big gaps:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    1. Not leveraging agencies upstream<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Most agencies are brought in too late after positioning, product, or pricing decisions are already locked.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s where the biggest impact is. By the time an agency is briefed, the real decisions have already been made and your agency is left optimizing around constraints instead of helping define the strategy itself. The missed opportunity is to use your agency as a thinking partner early, not just an execution partner later. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    2. Underutilizing data, insight, and consultative thinking<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Brands sit on massive amounts of data but don\u2019t translate it into decisions. At the same time, many agencies are only being used for execution. <\/p>

    A true consultative agency brings: <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Dedicated research and insight capabilities<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Data & analytics teams that go beyond reporting<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The ability to connect disparate data points into a clear narrative and direction<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    This is where a model like ours comes in\u2014combining market data, behavioral insight, and (when available) first-party data to actually diagnose business problems, not just describe performance. <\/p>

    Brands should expect agencies to: <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Turn data into insight (not just reporting)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Identify growth opportunities and inefficiencies<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Challenge assumptions with evidence<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Translate insight into clear strategic action<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    3. Not knowing what kind of agency you actually have<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    This is the part most brands don\u2019t evaluate honestly.
    Not all agencies are built to be consultative partners, and that\u2019s okay. Some are structured to be excellent executional vendors.<\/p>

    But if you\u2019re expecting strategic thinking, business diagnosis, and proactive guidance, you need to be working with an agency that\u2019s actually designed for that.
    There\u2019s a real difference between:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    A vendor that executes well<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    And a consultative partner that can help shape business direction\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Agencies like VML, Leap Group, or DEPT\u00ae are structured to operate more consultatively\u2014bringing together strategy, data, creative, and media to solve broader business problems.<\/p>

    If your agency isn\u2019t bringing that level of thinking, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they\u2019re failing, it may just mean they were never built for that role.
    But it does mean you\u2019re leaving value on the table.

    At the end of the day, brands should be asking:
    Is our agency helping us make better business decisions, or just executing the ones we\u2019ve already made?
    That answer usually tells you how much value you\u2019re actually getting. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    How should CEOs and CMOs think about the role an agency plays in driving real business growth, and what separates a true strategic partner from a traditional vendor?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Most companies still think about agencies in terms of outputs\u2014campaigns, content, media, deliverables.
    That\u2019s outdated, and actively limits growth.
    Because none of those things are the business. They\u2019re inputs. Too many organizations are optimizing inputs while wondering why outputs (revenue, pipeline, market share) aren\u2019t moving.<\/p>

    That\u2019s why we say Market Less. Matter More.<\/p>

    Because a true agency partner exists to make the business perform better.<\/p>

    A vendor executes against a brief. A partner questions whether the brief should exist at all.
    Instead of waiting for direction, they\u2019re interrogating it. Asking:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Why are we doing this?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Is this even a marketing problem?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    What problem are we actually trying to solve?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Are we trying to drive demand for something that isn\u2019t resonating?<\/p>

    Are we mispriced, mispositioned, or talking to the wrong audience entirely?<\/p>

    Here\u2019s the reality most teams avoid:
    A lot of \u201cmarketing problems\u201d aren\u2019t marketing problems. \u2028<\/p>

    They\u2019re:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Product-market fit issues<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Value proposition gaps<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Misaligned targeting<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Internal assumptions that haven\u2019t been challenged in years<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    And if your agency is only focused on execution, they will happily optimize around a broken system. You\u2019ll get better ads. Better content. Better media efficiency. But still not get meaningful business growth. That\u2019s the trap.<\/p>

    A true partner steps above the system and looks at the entire ecosytem:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    The business model<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The customer<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The actual drivers of growth\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The economics (LTV, CAC, margin)\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The competitive landscape\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    They connect data, behavior, and business reality, not just channels.<\/p>

    And that\u2019s where the uncomfortable shift happens.
    Vendors are measured by what they produce.
    Partners are measured by what they influence.<\/p>

    Which also means:<\/p>

    If your agency isn\u2019t occasionally making you uncomfortable\u2014challenging decisions, pushing back, reframing the problem\u2014they\u2019re probably operating as a vendor, whether you call them a partner or not. A true partner helps you decide what\u2019s worth doing in the first place.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Marketing can\u2019t fix a broken business, and that\u2019s exactly why the right agency matters.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    If your service is bad and customers don\u2019t come back, you\u2019ll always be stuck chasing new acquisitions. If your competitors are evolving and you\u2019re not responding, you\u2019ll lose ground, no matter how good your campaigns are.<\/p>

    You can\u2019t out-market:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Poor customer experience<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    A stagnant or outdated value proposition<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Weak product-market fit<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Operational issues<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    And yet, that\u2019s exactly what many brands expect agencies to do.
    They pour more into media. More into creative. More into campaigns.
    But they\u2019re optimizing around structural issues that marketing alone can\u2019t solve.
    This is where the role of a true agency partner changes.
    A vendor will keep executing, launching campaigns, optimizing performance, hitting KPIs tied to activity. <\/p>

    A real partner steps back and says: <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \u201cYour competitor isn\u2019t winning because of ads, they\u2019re winning because of experience.\u201d <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a marketing problem.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \u201cYou don\u2019t have a demand issue, you have a retention issue.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    That\u2019s not always comfortable to hear. But that\u2019s where the real value is.
    Because for a brand to be relevant it has to be more than just visible to their customers, it has to be valuable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    And how an agency helps you stay relevant can take many forms:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Refining or redefining your positioning<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Identifying gaps in your customer experience<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Spotting shifts in consumer behavior before they hit your numbers<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Challenging assumptions that are holding the business back<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Connecting what\u2019s happening in the market to what you\u2019re doing internally<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Sometimes that leads to better marketing. Sometimes it leads to changes far beyond marketing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    That\u2019s the difference. A vendor improves your marketing. A partner helps you improve your business, using marketing as one of many levers. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Interested in a partner that can create meaningful change and growth for your business? Get in touch and see how Leap Group can help.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Agency Partnership Critical insights on modern client relationships of agency relationships are project-based 0 % of brands want agencies to bring more ideas 0 % of strategy moving in-house for cost savings 0 % The Perception Gap What brands want vs what agencies think of brands want fresh ideas 0 % of agencies think brands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"issue":[],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-14166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14166"}],"version-history":[{"count":97,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14280,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14166\/revisions\/14280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14166"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=14166"},{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=14166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}