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How team effectiveness is impacted by the marketing category you work in

Posted 19/09/23

New research shows the challenges of working in different marketing categories and how to improve team effectiveness. The chart below shows the overall scores (out of 100) by category. Comparing… Read more

How culture impacts business team performance

Posted 8/09/23

Working in six global cities and across a multitude of countries has taught me a lot about the impact of culture on team performance. Nine years of my multinational career… Read more

Why using Chat GPT is good training for writing briefs

Posted 1/08/23

Why do bagels have a hole in the middle, and other powerful lessons ChatGPT taught me about writing good advertising briefs I’ve used the AI platform for tasks as varied… Read more

A million reasons why it’s better to repair team relationships than replace them

Posted 29/07/23

Research reveals the average total cost of an agency review at $1.2 million. A research report published by ANA/4A’s in the USA titled ‘The Cost of the Pitch’ urges marketers… Read more

The impact of stress and remote work on client-agency team performance

Posted 23/06/23

Stress levels among employees have increased since the Covid era. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 report, although the world has recovered from the worst of the… Read more

Can financial management help agencies win effectiveness awards?

Posted 15/06/23

Analysis reveals that financial management is a secret weapon of European effectiveness award-winning agencies. Here at Aprais, we’ve built our business on the premise that stronger relationships lead to better… Read more

DEI, sustainability and AI: Key themes from WFA Global Marketer Week 2023

Posted 1/06/23

Here’s my download on WFA Global Marketer Week 2023. In last year’s review of the WFA Global Marketer Week conference held in Athens, I pointed out three main themes from… Read more

The power of relationships – a key to better mental health and a better life

Posted 17/05/23

At work and at home, relationships can be both the principal cause of stress and an antidote to it, while also being the crucial key to a better life. As… Read more

How strategic skills help teams win effectiveness awards

Posted 3/05/23

Our groundbreaking study of marketing award-winners has highlighted the importance of strategic skills to boost the effectiveness of work. Of the many interesting findings emerging from the Aprais study that… Read more

What proverbial wisdom can teach us about client-agency relationships

Posted 2/05/23

In a modern age of business relationships, have we forgotten some tried-and-tested wisdom to build stronger business? This Easter, I was reminded of some of the proverbial wisdom that has… Read more

Better client-agency relationships deliver better work. Fact.

Posted 28/04/23

Using two unique and robust sets of data there is now proof that client-agency teams with better relationships produce more effective work. The implications of our latest report are profound for marketers… Read more

Happiness – a new business imperative

Posted 21/03/23

We are in the midst of a global paradigm shift in which the happiness of teams, and the people that comprise them, is driving greater performance. On March 20 each… Read more

Podcast: How strategy sets the best client-agency teams apart from the rest

Posted 20/03/23

The often-overlooked area of strategy is a key indicator of an effective business relationship, new data from Aprais and WARC has shown. Speaking with Aprais founder and chair Kim Walker… Read more

AI and team relationships – a realistic view

Posted 17/03/23

AI can help business team relationships but it’s no panacea Sylvia de Sienes – Aprais. On Monday morning, one of my colleagues announced: “I had a chat with an AI… Read more

Four pillars of successful relationships

Posted 14/02/23

Valentine’s Day gives cause to reflect on the value of relationships, both personal and business. The month of love is upon us and convenience stores and garage forecourts are preparing… Read more

How to welcome Gen Z to the workplace

Posted 14/02/23

The newest generation into the workplace also values work-life balance and positive mental health initiatives. Employers looking to attract younger people should take note. Pola Orzechowska – Aprais The same… Read more

Marketing Procurement Coming of Age

Posted 14/02/23

Marketing procurement must play their part in client-agency relationships to ensure mutual expectations of transparency, equity, and value are being properly met. J. Francisco Escobar In this age of ever-increasing technological… Read more

Action plans make teams stronger

Posted 3/02/23

Failure to set clear action plans after a team evaluation is demoralising, undermines faith in leadership and jeopardises the entire programme. State of the global workplace According to the latest… Read more

New Year, new start – new agency?

Posted 19/01/23

Why it’s better to repair than replace a business relationship Whether a business relationship or personal, if there’s one professional guaranteed to see an influx of new business in January,… Read more

Trust stays king in 2022

Posted 18/01/23

Among the seven key behaviours, Trust stayed at the forefront of building better client-agency relationships in 2022. Why behaviours? The Aprais database comprised of more than 25,000 evaluations of client-agency… Read more

Expectations from client-agency relationships in 2023: report

Posted 13/01/23

New ways of working are forging changes in client-agency relationships – and in the way they are managed. The pandemic encouraged extraordinary examples of urgent, purpose-driven, remote teamwork. Instinctively we… Read more

What The Beautiful Game can teach us about effective teams

Posted 7/12/22

Some tips on how to build effective teams and manage your superstars. As a career expatriate Aussie, my knowledge of football could easily fit into a small jar of Vegemite…. Read more

For better relationships, improve your functional skills

Posted 10/11/22

On-the-job skill among team members is the most critical factor for creating successful client-agency relationships, and it’s growing as a priority. Figures from Aprais’ global database of more than 25,000… Read more

Work-jerks, the weather and their impact on mental health

Posted 8/11/22

It doesn’t require a stretch of the imagination to accept that happier teams deliver better work. Nor does it require a great leap to believe that happier teams by turn… Read more

Resilient teams perform better

Posted 8/11/22

Marketer and their agency teams have become more resilient over the last decade, but there are still opportunities to improve this business-critical attribute. Analysis of Aprais’ global database of more… Read more

Build trust by making promises and keeping them

Posted 31/10/22

A simple hack to build trust rapidly, I promise. My problem with Hollywood Picture this familiar movie scene; In the midst of destruction and mayhem, the enigmatic hero turns to… Read more

What the pandemic taught us about teamwork

Posted 7/10/22

This momentous event has presented a unique opportunity to reassess teamwork and our ways of working. Both as individuals, with families, in communities and for business this has been a… Read more

Why social skills have become so crucial for career success

Posted 20/09/22

Harvard research concludes that companies are seeking leaders with strong social skills. My first leadership position came at the ripe old age of 27. When I reflect on my behaviour… Read more

The power of longevity in business relationships

Posted 2/09/22

New research shows that clients and agencies believe longevity drives stronger brand performance, creativity and positively impacts agency staff retention. A few months ago, the Queen of England celebrated an… Read more

The changing demands on PR agencies

Posted 31/08/22

The remit of PR agencies has exploded in recent years, moving from traditional media relations, stakeholder and reputation management to encompass social media and community management, production of content, influencer,… Read more

Why trust is so critical in business relationships

Posted 3/08/22

Without trust, business relationships cannot hope to flourish. Partnering for growth Successful relationships are characterised by many attributes, but the one universal ingredient is trust. A recent IPA report examining… Read more

What’s wrong with the advertising business?

Posted 2/08/22

This documentary about the ad business provides an interesting perspective on the state of the business through the eyes of a creative director. I still remember the day I got… Read more

How creative production can improve client-agency relationships

Posted 1/07/22

5 creative production tips every team should practice. Historically, the focus of client-agency relationships has tended to be around the delivery of the creative idea, with production coming much further… Read more

Improving creativity is not just about being more creative.

Posted 28/06/22

As the advertising world returns from Cannes 2022, now is a good time to reflect on the subject of creativity. The subject of declining creativity in our industry has been… Read more

Empathy builds stronger teams

Posted 21/06/22

Empathy as a team leadership skill is now more important than ever. Covid has changed the way we work in so many ways. Clearly, it has forced us to re-examine… Read more

Team chemistry and the pitch process

Posted 15/06/22

Team chemistry is a cornerstone of successful client-agency relationships. UK creative agency Mother created a stir when it announced recently that if a new client agrees to appoint the agency… Read more

What can clients and agencies learn from the Queen’s Jubilee? Longevity.

Posted 5/06/22

Longevity is not necessarily an indicator of a healthy relationship but it’s something clients and agencies should strive for. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee marked a 70-year relationship between the monarch… Read more

How disagreement can positively challenge teams.

Posted 26/05/22

By focussing on achieving consensus, we might be missing the opportunity to stimulate different ideas. Accepting dissenting views from your own team members requires a rare combination of humility, self-confidence… Read more

Why accountability is an important behaviour to improve your team performance

Posted 17/05/22

Business teams can improve their working relationships and quality of work by boosting accountability. What is accountability? Whether it’s about upholding expectations or taking responsibility for mistakes, accountability matters in… Read more

How the future of work will impact team behaviours.

Posted 28/04/22

The future of work will impact teams in ways that all leaders should take note. Hybrid work will create more unevenness around where, when, and how much different employees are… Read more

What I learned at the WFA Global Marketer Week 2022

Posted 25/04/22

From my perspective, there were three main themes; Creativity and inspiration vs technology and data The role of marketing in the sustainability challenge The metaverse – opportunities, threats. I’m going… Read more

A question of scale

Posted 29/03/22

Why does Aprais use a 100-point scale to evaluate client-agency relationships when most surveys of this type use a 5-point scale? We use the 100-point scale because it provides more… Read more

Is strategy the key to improving agency-brand relationships?

Posted 17/03/22

Recent research indicates that fractured agency-brand relationships can be improved, with effort on both sides. Prepared by Frontify in collaboration with Ad Age Studio 30 the white paper recommends agencies… Read more

How to improve a business relationship rapidly.

Posted 26/02/22

With the median tenure now at just 25.5 months, can CMO’s improve the business relationship with an agency within their tenure? In April 2021, research from executive search firm Spencer… Read more

The future of work

Posted 25/02/22

I’m a big fan of futurist reports. Forget whether they are accurate predictors or not, they can distill a lot of what is going on, into a concise format that… Read more

What is a relationship without trust?

Posted 10/02/22

Recent political events in the UK serve as a stark reminder of the importance of trust in relationships. As I write this the UK political elite are holding their breath…. Read more

Team evaluations in 2021

Posted 22/01/22

Team evaluations in 2021 presented extraordinary challenges and achievements. It was the year of lockdowns, vaccinations, tentative returns to some face-to-face contact, hybrid working and Omicrom. More data, deeper understanding… Read more

Collaboration in business relationships – report

Posted 1/12/21

Collaboration is a vital ingredient of high-performing client-agency teams, our latest data shows. Managing multiple internal and external partners has long been a challenge for marketers. Now they must also… Read more

Cricket: Leadership, teamwork and relationships

Posted 15/11/21

Team leadership lessons we learn from cricket to build stronger client-agency relationships. Cricket is a peculiar game. Among its many features, it is really the only team game in which… Read more

How does contact frequency affect team performance?

Posted 26/10/21

The mental health of the marketing industry is under severe strain. What can be done to relieve the pressure? The Covid pandemic saw offices across the globe lie empty and… Read more

Do relationships matter to agile teams?

Posted 22/10/21

Agile teams are increasingly popular, but they are not without their challenges. Way back in 2016, McKinsey described agile, in the marketing context, as the use of data and analytics to continuously… Read more

Aprais partners with production specialists Murphy Cobb Associates

Posted 24/09/21

The partnership with production specialist MCA creates an agile and sustainable product offering for clients of both companies. The strategic partnership will offer clients an integrated approach from agency brief… Read more

Strong teams start with happy individuals

Posted 21/09/21

Strong teams are only possible if the individuals that comprise them are happy and motivated. As obvious as this may seem, the turbulence brought about by the pandemic and enforced… Read more