A Digital Agency Manifesto

June 2021 — For the better part of a year I have been fortunate enough to work with some incredible businesses in my capacity as a freelancer/project manager. More recently, the volume of work reached a point where I could no longer service my clients singlehandedly and as a result I recruited some pretty top class talent (if I do say so myself) to help deliver the value I pride myself on. The time feels right to take another step forwards and transition the business further towards an agency model permitting the continued growth and servicing of my clients and their needs. By most accounts I’ve been successful thus far which begs the question — “why bother becoming an agency in the first place?”. This essay is my attempt at answering that question; offering clients — present and future — an idea of the type of agency we’re running and giving myself a set of guiding principles to stick to at all times.

Growth Engines

Marketing for small, large, nascent and established brands is generally thought of in terms of growth and the ability to scale up operations in order to meet the demands of their customers. A competent agency should deliver success within that rubric in order to justify its ongoing relationship to clients.

Too big to fail

Like any sustainable business, there should be no dependency on a singular client to remain solvent. The business must grow in order to ensure it can continue to meet the needs of all external and internal stakeholders alike.

Small enough to never leave anyone behind

I am not, however, the next Charles Saatchi and lord knows I don’t intend to be. A mutually beneficial client-agency relationship built on trust and respect contributes to both parties’ long-term success. As the business grows, none of those relationships should be discarded or neglected as a result of the agency’s upward trajectory.

Interfacing with complex systems

Why else would you hire an agency if not to provide the expertise that you cannot yet rely upon in house? VarcoeMedia and its partner network currently offer outstanding service across the following business activities:

• Web Design & Development
• Digital Media Buying

For more information on these offerings. Please reach out for a direct consultation.

Fully Distributed

Talent is everywhere and so are we. We source and recruit our team members from across the globe ensuring that we can provide our clients with the very best minds available.

Fixed Pricing Model

All projects and contracts are clearly defined and priced up from day one. No billable hours for unclear or ambiguous work. No surprises at the end of the month. Simple, customer-focused pricing. Always.

Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.

We’re all people looking to make a positive difference in the world. Life isn’t a zero-sum game and I firmly believe that we can and indeed should celebrate one another’s successes. Businesses might have to make money in order to survive but equally if not more important they should play a part in the establishing and maintaining of human connection. I will stand by these principles and assess client-agency relationships accordingly.

For more information on VarcoeMedia, please visit www.varcoe.media