The Immortal Life of Agencies

Boathouse's CEO: Going back to basics – John Connors

Today’s guest is John Connors, CEO of the Boston-based, full-service agency, Boathouse. John argues that agencies have become too transactional, weakening client relationships as well as their impact on business outcomes. So he’s built a client-centric culture that deeply understands the drivers of commercial performance. The conversation explores the disconnect between client-side CEOs and CMOs, and how to justify brand investment alongside digital media. Thoughtful, practical and optimistic, this is a conversation about building trust, commercial credibility and brand value. HIGHLIGHTS: [03:54] Studying the CEO [08:13] Execution over consultancy [09:45] The CEO disconnect [13:44] Halfway to transformation [19:40] Map the revenue [25:40] Partner vs employee mindset [30:13] Relationships over transactions [36:07] Anchored to the P&L [39:23] The numbers behind AI MORE ABOUT JOHN: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/john-connors [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-connors-5621b5/] Website: boathouseinc.com [https://www.boathouseinc.com/] MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: Boathouse CEO research [https://www.boathouseinc.com/insights/cmos-are-winning-trust-but-still-falling-short-7h8st-lg57a-brr3l-lfywl] Richard Huntington in Campaign: It's time to stop talking about “brand” and “creativity” [https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/its-time-stop-talking-%E2%80%9Cbrand%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccreativity%E2%80%9D/1956503] (paywalled) HOST SOCIALS: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn [https://linkedin.com/in/robinbonn] Twitter: twitter.com/robonn [https://twitter.com/robonn] MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY: Website: codefinery.com [https://codefinery.com] Book: Market of One [https://marketofone.agency] Mentioned in this episode: Get Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire Is your agency  really as differentiated as you think? And have you fully embraced the commercial disruption that AI is bringing? To find out, take five minutes to complete Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire. It's quick, free, and thought provoking, and you get a tailored report with practical guidance for sharpening your competitive edge. Visit codefinery.com/dq [https://the-immortal-life-of-ag.captivate.fm/dq]

Main Character's Co-Founders: Making the impossible happen – Courtney Worthman & Stacey Gersten

Today’s guests are Courtney Worthman and Stacey Gersten, Co-Founders of Main Character, the celebrity partnership specialists helping brands stop buying celebrities and start buying into culture. Drawing on two decades of experience across entertainment, advertising and PR, Courtney and Stacey explain why moving ‘at the speed of culture’ has become a practical necessity and how building celebrity partnerships has evolved into a quantitative science. We explore the balance between data and instinct, the realities of managing dynamic stakeholder relationships, and how brands discern the right cultural moments. This is a modern, practical conversation about culture, influence and the changing role of celebrity in brand communications. HIGHLIGHTS: [03:26] Main Character’s origin story [07:15] Being audience first [10:11] Thinking in calendars [13:42] Making ideas executable [16:51] Pulling the right levers [19:03] The science behind celebrity [27:05] Brands as entertainment studios [30:09] An easy way to yes [32:10] Brand to brand partnerships MORE ABOUT COURTNEY & STACEY: LinkedIn (Courtney): linkedin.com/in/courtney-worthman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-worthman-081100a/] LinkedIn (Stacey): linkedin.com/in/stacey-gersten [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-gersten-a2449a8/] Website: main-character.com [https://www.main-character.com/] HOST SOCIALS: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn [https://linkedin.com/in/robinbonn] Twitter: twitter.com/robonn [https://twitter.com/robonn] MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY: Website: codefinery.com [https://codefinery.com] Book: Market of One [https://marketofone.agency] Mentioned in this episode: Get Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire Is your agency  really as differentiated as you think? And have you fully embraced the commercial disruption that AI is bringing? To find out, take five minutes to complete Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire. It's quick, free, and thought provoking, and you get a tailored report with practical guidance for sharpening your competitive edge. Visit codefinery.com/dq [https://the-immortal-life-of-ag.captivate.fm/dq]

Bakery Agency's CEO: What clients don’t understand about indies – Micky Ogando

Today’s guest is Micky Ogando, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the 80-person, Austin-based independent creative agency, Bakery. Unpacking the trend of big brands choosing indies, Micky explains why many clients misunderstand what they’re actually buying when they swap HoldCo. polish for opinionated misfits, and how this friction can be channeled into better work. The conversation also covers how Bakery vets potential clients and when agency owners should evolve beyond improvising in their early days and start really focusing on what they're really good at. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:35] Starting without a blueprint [05:44] Misconceptions about indies [07:54] Independent versus small [11:41] Scale with minimal friction [16:24] Vetting process on both sides [21:08] Limits of improvisation [22:26] The He-Man strategy [23:51] Avoiding the Abilene paradox [25:51] The Michelin star mindset [29:43] Taste, criteria, standards and craft MORE ABOUT MICKY: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mickyogando [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickyogando/] Website: bakery.agency [https://www.bakery.agency/] MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Agency Galaxy https://thecultish.substack.com/p/a-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-agency [https://thecultish.substack.com/p/a-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-agency] HOST SOCIALS: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn [https://linkedin.com/in/robinbonn] Twitter: twitter.com/robonn [https://twitter.com/robonn] MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY: Website: codefinery.com [https://codefinery.com] Book: Market of One [https://marketofone.agency] Mentioned in this episode: Get Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire Is your agency  really as differentiated as you think? And have you fully embraced the commercial disruption that AI is bringing? To find out, take five minutes to complete Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire. It's quick, free, and thought provoking, and you get a tailored report with practical guidance for sharpening your competitive edge. Visit codefinery.com/dq [https://the-immortal-life-of-ag.captivate.fm/dq]

Eidra's Co-CEO: How pragmatism drives growth – Måns Hosk

Today’s guest is Måns Hosk, Co-CEO of Eidra, the Swedish consultancy collective that’s grown from five founding businesses into a 1,500-person organisation spanning Europe and the US. Måns shares how Eidra was built around a simple idea: modern client challenges rarely fit neatly into a single discipline. He explains how strategy, creativity, technology, data and AI have been brought together to solve broader business problems, while maintaining the specialist expertise clients still value. The conversation explores what integration looks like in practice, why overwhelming clients with capability is rarely effective, and how Eidra’s ‘bring a friend’ approach has helped build deeper, more valuable relationships. Måns also reflects on AI, organisational change, and why Scandinavian values such as collaboration, pragmatism and humility have become important advantages. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:38] What is Eidra? [08:06] All about solidarity [11:05] The challenges of integration [12:54] Applying pragmatism [16:06] Starting with transformation [21:11] Bring a friend approach [30:36] New superstars vs obsolescence [31:46] The Scandinavian advantage [35:07] Eidra’s next chapter MORE ABOUT MÅNS HOSK: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/m%C3%A5ns-jacobsson-hosk-9123044/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/m%C3%A5ns-jacobsson-hosk-9123044/] Website: eidra.com [https://eidra.com/] HOST SOCIALS: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn [https://linkedin.com/in/robinbonn] Twitter: twitter.com/robonn [https://twitter.com/robonn] MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY: Website: codefinery.com [https://codefinery.com] Book: Market of One [https://marketofone.agency] Mentioned in this episode: Get Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire Is your agency  really as differentiated as you think? And have you fully embraced the commercial disruption that AI is bringing? To find out, take five minutes to complete Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire. It's quick, free, and thought provoking, and you get a tailored report with practical guidance for sharpening your competitive edge. Visit codefinery.com/dq [https://the-immortal-life-of-ag.captivate.fm/dq]

Huge's CEO: When everything changes all at once – Josh Campo

Today’s guest is Josh Campo, CEO of Huge. And if you think your to-do list is long, you might need to reconsider. On top of the wider market disruption, Josh is overseeing all manner of change – still fresh from exiting IPG, Huge is navigating PE-ownership, integrating with Hero Digital and continuing its productisation journey. On the integration with Hero, he explains why successful integration requires a complete rebirth of culture, not just simply blending two organisations together. Pragmatic, candid and optimistic throughout, Josh also explores Huge’s much discussed productisation journey, the decline of time-based pricing, and why agencies must move beyond selling “done” and focus instead on outcomes, speed and commercial value. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:37] Navigating four transformations [04:07] Rebirth of culture [06:56] Rebuilding from common ground [11:20] Delivering on the promise [15:50] Why productisation matters [22:26] The declining value of ‘done’ [30:08] A future without timesheets [31:33] Procurement needs a new story [37:30] The future belongs to excellence [42:02] Speed is of the essence MORE ABOUT JOSH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshcampo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcampo/] Website: hugeinc.com [https://www.hugeinc.com/] MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE: Madison Avenue Makeover: The transformation of Huge and the redefinition of the ad agency business: amazon.com/Madison-Avenue-Makeover-transformation-redefinition [https://www.amazon.com/Madison-Avenue-Makeover-transformation-redefinition/dp/1911687646] HOST SOCIALS: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn [https://linkedin.com/in/robinbonn] Twitter: twitter.com/robonn [https://twitter.com/robonn] MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY: Website: codefinery.com [https://codefinery.com] Book: Market of One [https://marketofone.agency] Mentioned in this episode: Get Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire Is your agency  really as differentiated as you think? And have you fully embraced the commercial disruption that AI is bringing? To find out, take five minutes to complete Co:definery's diagnostic questionnaire. It's quick, free, and thought provoking, and you get a tailored report with practical guidance for sharpening your competitive edge. Visit codefinery.com/dq [https://the-immortal-life-of-ag.captivate.fm/dq]