Caroline on the Marketing landscape:

In what ways have marketing agencies changed and evolved the last 20 or so years. How has AI affected this in terms of employee roles and client expectations?

Often when we look back as to how things have changed over time, humans have a tendency to romanticise the past, aka the ‘good old days’. I’ll try not to do that. Truth is that some of it was great and some, well as they say, is best left in Vegas!

Fast forward to today and the Norfolk agency landscape has been transformed. The shift from traditional marketing to digital has been swift. The range of services and the specialisms within the sector have exploded. The changes are of course mostly due to technological advancements. Back then computers were unreliable and unsophisticated requiring real-time phone line dial up to connect to other computers and servers. Imagine that. The changes in tech capability have created a diverse range of rolls within the sector spanning all skill sets from creative design and branding to customer experience experts. I often wonder if anyone truly understands what some of the roles I see advertised actually mean? Or maybe it’s me!

Changing Work Culture
Over the last 20 years, changes in employment law and working practices have made a huge impact on workplaces. Previously there was a clearly defined ‘hierarchical top-down approach’ to agency life. Well, that was probably true for most businesses and still is for some. But I’ve seen how things have changed and for the better, those early pioneering days laid the foundations for creating the more modern, level and inclusive workplace cultures that we see today.

In my experience many clients back then looked outside of Norfolk, for what they considered to be more ‘expert’ or 'modernistic', even ‘sexier’ marketing services. Yes, if you’ve ever watched Mad Men, it wasn’t far off reality at times. It was as if clients felt they were getting something special. That there was a ‘cache’ to employ an agency from say, London or Manchester. Thankfully that’s no longer the case, as Norfolk continues to enjoy a proud position in the UK for hosting creative talent and innovative marketing thinking.

Caroline on leadership:

What does effective leadership look like in growing marketing agencies? How can founders and leaders of agencies develop their leadership skills and confidence as their teams evolve?

The first thing I'd like to say is how very difficult it is to lead, build and grow a business. If I reflect on the past, then I think it's become harder. Why, because the sector itself, the business of marketing, and agencies are more complicated and diverse than ever. Secondly because finding a place of balance between supporting, directing, leading and managing is almost an impossible task.

It occurs to me we're all far more sophisticated, in a good way, and aware as to our personal preferences, needs and goals. The real challenge is how do you create a work-based culture that meets everyone's needs when the truth is that degree of compromise is always required at some point. For example, there will be members of any team who require autonomy, a different type of working space, maybe even require specific skills from their manager. Sometimes these requirements aren’t always known at the time of hiring. So being observant, keeping open lines of communication, inviting feedback and finding ways to connect is vital. I so hope that people remember that tech tools such as SLACK or chat rooms can only be part of the solution. We are humans and need to find ways to be together to discuss, share and connect in a real-life way. You can't build trust with an email address!

A Better Way to Lead
On the positive side it's great that the modern workspaces have a far more open approach to discussion and inclusivity than it did ‘back in the day’. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that conversations will always be easy or that leaders will always have the right skills. It’s also almost certain that confidence will wax and wane for anyone who has a heart. So, the best approach that leaders can adopt, in my opinion, when it comes to leadership style is that of a coaching style. Asking questions, listening carefully, encouraging feedback and taking time to get to know their teams and their people. This can often feel awkward and strange at times, and that’s ok. Get a mentor, get a coach. Those are useful actions and will help you more than scrolling ever will.

I think that leaders need to be open enough to keep learning and willing to join with their peers to share their challenges. The goal has to be finding solutions that will help their teams grow and ultimately enhance the results their business is achieving. I'm hopeful that this approach is more realistic in 2026. In 1996 agency founders and leaders very much kept themselves to themselves. Such was the level of competition and attitudes around business development and growth in Norfolk. I know that's changed maybe because the pot has grown and Norfolk is finally on the map, but I think it's also to do that we live in a time where people are more willing to be authentic, to be humble and to serve as best they can themselves and others at the same time.

In a nutshell, the best way to get your business or your team to grow has to be to grow yourself. That means being humble enough and open enough to keep learning and to find better ways of pitching up. Pun intended!

Caroline on tools, performance & communication:

What tools or frameworks can marketing agencies use to improve team performance, communication and accountability? 

We live in an age where we have a plethora of tools, techniques and knowledge, all allegedly aimed at helping improve performance. Personally, I think this huge range of solutions is what forms part of the problem for businesses. Everyone wants to know what's the best thing to do? What's the best tool to use? Should we buy some new project management software to help us become more efficient? Maybe we should use Microsoft Teams to enhance communication and collaboration and improve information flow? Maybe we need more training? And that's without even looking at performance analytical tools and data-driven insights which are geared up to help with campaign performance, customer management, etc.

It's too much.

I connect and mentor people within the agency businesses community and I see this first hand. Business are trying to keep up with the latest new ideas all the time. Products are sold to help solve business problems, they get installed, often under a white label, people get trained, then and they get forgotten about. Often, they need to be managed, policed and updated. Adding to the invisible workload that agencies are drowning in.

Keep It Simple
I've always tried and believed that simple is best. That instead of having a tonne of different solutions and ideas, be brave and choose just one or two. Making sure that whatever we use that we're absolutely clear as to what problem we are hoping it will solve. The thing is, we are terrified that there might be something better. That we've missed something, and that's just nonsense!

For me the best way to improve team communication or performance and to develop a culture where everyone feels a sense of accountability, not just to themselves but to each other, is to talk with each other. It shouldn’t be formulaic and it doesn't have to be overblown. It just needs be consistent, flexible and embedded by remembering that people are human beings and not machines.

So, if you're thinking about finding ways to engage your team around topics such as team performance, communication, then have a go at framing some questions and conversations around the following simple process.

Firstly, home in on what it is you want to focus on. Is it team performance? Is it communication? What is it exactly that you are trying to change or positively affect. Then begin a conversation – it could be in your next team meeting, it could be 1 to 1. Don’t make it a big deal. Ask questions like this: Relating to our team performance how are we doing? Where are we trying to get to? What does that look like, sound like or even feel like to you? What could we try to do differently? How would we get there? What could we try? What might that mean? What resource is might we require? How would we know if we were on the right tracks? What baby steps could we take? What's the first thing we could try out? What can we each do that might help?

It's not rocket science. It’s not sexy. You don’t need any tech, other than a pen maybe. These questions aren’t perfect, but they offer a starting point. It’s not sexy, but it's authentic, and it can change businesses. Good luck.