Branding Quality Outweighs Remuneration for Agency Success

SEATTLE, Sept. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- A new study conducted by Agency Mania Solutions in collaboration with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has found that briefing quality, trust, and feedback are the strongest drivers of agency performance, challenging the industry's long-standing focus on compensation as the primary lever for agency performance. Gralpois will share key findings from the report during the WFA Sourcing Forum, including the fact that great briefing, respect, and trust are rated far higher than financial incentives, which scored just 3.9 out of 6.

The research, based on a survey of 71 global brands conducted in June 2026, also revealed that client-agency relationships are lasting longer than they did in 2018, with average tenure in paid social media nearly doubling from two years to 4.3 years. However, 36% of client-side respondents say managing agency relationships has become harder over the past year, compared to just 12% who say it has become easier. The study also shows a decade-long shift in how agencies are paid: labor-based remuneration models have fallen from 54% of arrangements in 2011 to just 17% today, while fixed-fee and output-based models have risen to 35% and hybrid labor-plus-performance models have more than doubled, to 23%. Despite the accelerating impact of AI on how agency work gets done, only 20% of brands have begun adapting their commercial models in response, though 61% intend to.

Bruno Gralpois, Co-Founder and Principal of Agency Mania Solutions, emphasized that the biggest barriers to better agency performance are rarely found in rate cards.

The report builds on WFA's decade of work through its Global Sourcing Board and Project Spring initiative, which has pushed marketing procurement to move beyond process efficiency toward demonstrating business value. Gralpois' session at WFA Forum Connect New York is part of a day-long gathering of marketing and procurement leaders, where he will be followed by a cross-forum discussion led by WFA CEO Stephan Loerke and Krista Hill, Head of Strategic Sourcing, Global Marketing at Uber, exploring actionable steps the industry can take on marketing effectiveness.

Agency Mania Solutions is a Seattle-based software company dedicated to transforming the way global brands get the most value from their agency partnerships. As the industry leader in customizable Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, Agency Mania Solutions offers tailored software that evolves with your business needs. With an unmatched depth of client and agency experience, Agency Mania Solutions provides insights and best practices gleaned from years of expertise on both sides of the relationship.