Faster. Better. Cheaper. Ad Agency Search!
Let’s get one thing out of the way: traditional agency search isn’t dead. For decades, the process of finding and hiring an ad agency has remained unchanged: a long, drawn-out RFP process including chemistry meetings, briefs, spec creative development, pitch theater, lots of blind hope and a boatload of money, even though up to 70% of marketers know who they want before the pitch. How can this make any sense? Meanwhile, the industry itself has transformed at breakneck speed. So why is the way we find and choose agency partners still stuck in another era?
It’s no wonder today’s impatient marketers are looking for a faster, smarter, non-traditional agency search process, a more human alternative.
It’s also a welcome change for agencies. Traditional pitches often demand weeks of unpaid work, late nights, travel, and disruption—only to end in a black box decision. This new wave of a non-traditional agency search process, one that’s open, direct, and more humane doesn’t just respect marketers’ time—it respects agency time too, fewer hoops, more real conversations, and a better shot at building authentic partnerships.
The Rise of Non-Traditional Agency Search Process
Scroll LinkedIn long enough, and you might catch a glimpse: brand marketers—real ones, from brands like The North Face, Nike’s Jordan Brand, Feastables, Heineken, De Soi, Reckitt, and CVH Spirits—publicly inviting agencies to reach out. No RFP. No 87-slide decks. It’s just an open call for real conversations.
Take Bryan Waddell from Feastables. He didn’t put out an RFP or hire a legacy consultant. He made a LinkedIn post. That post got 500+ likes, 150+ comments, and 200+ DMs from interested agencies in less than a week. That’s not a fluke—it’s a signal.
Chris Buckwell, on the Heineken’s Beyond Beer team, did something similar. He wanted a more “user-friendly” approach for agencies. So he skipped the consultant and used LinkedIn to call for small shops with hustle and ideas, not just fancy offices and Cannes trophies.
This isn’t just a Western phenomenon either. In India, marketers at KFC, Uniqlo, Vahdam, Mamaearth, Marico, Paytm, and more use LinkedIn to find creative partners. One post. One click. Instant pipeline.
These aren’t desperate brands. They’re smart, resourceful marketers who can’t wait four to six months to pick a new agency or retain their incumbent. They know that great creativity isn’t tied to pedigree or pitch decks. It’s about the right people solving the right problem—fast.
What’s Fueling the Shift?
Let’s be honest: we’ve romanticized the pitch process for years. Such fond memories, “The theater of it all!” “The energy!” “The free snacks!” along with utter exhaustion, gut-wrenching disappointment, and that sucking sound of $400K flying out the window.
But behind the scenes? Months of over-rehearsed presentations, bloated teams, and millions in wasted time and travel. It’s exhausting and not always necessary in today’s market.
More than ever, marketers are under pressure from their C-suite and boards to deliver results quickly—and cost-effectively. The old model can’t keep up. A four-month review might’ve made sense when planning Super Bowl spots a year out. (even that reference is outdated) But in a world where campaigns go live in days, not months, that timeline is a relic from the Mad Man days.
Technology, too, has changed the game. We have Slack channels and Reddit threads exposing which agencies made what. AI tools can help reverse-engineer campaigns. Podcasts and YouTube interviews let you hear how agency leaders think before you ever take a call. New talent offers focused, curated, fast-track matchmaking that skips the dog and pony show.
And let’s not forget the toll traditional reviews take on agency teams. Creative leaders pulled off billable work, strategists grinding on spec, and account folks juggling timelines to compete in a bloated pitch process that may not even be transparent. Non-traditional searches are restoring balance and fairness, creating opportunities that are quicker, clearer, and less damaging to agency morale.
The tools are out there. A non-traditional agency search process is being used. The mindset needs to catch up.
A New Breed of Search Consultants
Let me be clear: there are phenomenal legacy search consultants out there. They’ve earned their place, and they do great work, especially on high-stakes, complex, multi-brand assignments.
But there’s also a new generation rising. Consultants who blend experience with modern tools. Who know that access to information isn’t a problem anymore…access to the right information is.
At JHeenan Consulting, we’ve built a non-traditional agency search process that’s lean, transparent, and grounded in real-world marketing urgency. No time-wasting. No copy-pasted RFPs. We don’t believe “faster” means “sloppier.” We believe faster is smarter. We assist the marketing decision-maker in collecting info, vetting possibilities, and selecting the right partner faster, better, and cheaper.
Emerging marketing leaders have shunned the status quo and taken their agency search DIY. They go looking in the places they are most comfortable: AI & data-driven solutions, LinkedIn, Slack & Discord communities, X & Reddit, Agency search platforms, Freelancer and Creator hubs, Podcast and YouTube, and even reverse engineering ads they like to find the agencies behind them.
Clever as they are, these marketers can benefit from help, too, a different kind of help. They need an agency veteran’s instincts, a marketing veteran’s empathy, an agency matchmaker’s experience, hands-on knowledge of the agency landscape, and the entrepreneurial spirit of a founder. They need someone to do their leg work, comfortable in all the channels, trusted to understand their needs, and broadly connected to share and recommend the best choices so they can keep their marketing momentum going.
We’re not alone. You’re seeing this ethos across a new crop of consultants and marketers: those prioritizing chemistry over credentials, outcome over optics, and actual conversations over stage-managed showdowns. And we know how much agency owners love a new, less burdensome, and disruptive approach.
We work with clients who want great creativity but also want to keep their sanity. And for those clients, legacy search isn’t always the right fit.
Not Everyone Needs a 747 to Cross the Street
It’s worth repeating: traditional search still has its place. A more formal search process may be necessary if you’re a global brand with dozens of stakeholders, hundreds of brands, and legal hurdles. Sometimes a 747 is the right way to fly.
But many marketers don’t need a 747, they need a bike, a scooter, or maybe a 0 – 60 mph in 2.1 seconds Porsche Taycan Turbo GT EV that gets them where they need to go fast without burning time, people, or expensive first-class tickets for the whole team.
The current demand isn’t just for better agencies; plenty are out there. It’s for a better way to find and meet them.
Marketers today aren’t just CMOs. They’re change agents, industry disruptors, and status quo busters. They’re building in real-time. They need partners, not paper pushers. And they need them now.
What the Critics Say (And Why They’re Missing the Point)
Yes, there are critics. Some say these non-traditional searches are unprofessional, lack rigor, and are “unfair” to established processes.
But here’s the truth: what’s fairer than a level playing field?
Posting a call on LinkedIn or other channels invites everyone, big, small, traditional, and indie, to throw their hat in. No politics. No backroom deals. Just good work, real excitement, and genuine interest.
The industry has always been built on relationships. LinkedIn makes those relationships easier to form. And if a marketer can meet their future agency partner in a DM instead of a boardroom, why not?
As search consultant Mitchell Caplan recently told Ad Age, “Folks always overreact when the status quo is challenged.” That overreaction is often just fear of losing control.
But this isn’t about ditching the old ways just to be disruptive. It’s about evolving toward something more aligned with how marketing, marketers, agencies, and literally the world works today.
Faster. Better. Cheaper. Smarter.
At the end of the day, the choice isn’t between chaos and control. It’s between outdated tradition and modern efficiency.
Legacy search has its place and always will. However, for some brand marketers and agency leaders trying to move fast and make smart, lasting decisions, the future lies in approaches that match the moment.
For agencies, this shift is equally empowering. Instead of burning resources on spec creative and Kabuki theater, they can focus on making meaningful connections and showing up as they truly are; no gimmicks, no polished pitch puppetry. It’s a healthier, more honest way to win business that values people over pageantry.
Whether that’s an open call on LinkedIn, a curated shortlist from a consultant like me, or simply a no-nonsense introduction made over coffee, one thing is clear:
Agency search is sneaking up on the 21st century. And it’s about time.
Welcome to the 21st Century
Agency search has been a bitter pill for a long time, and I’ve been on both sides trying to understand why. I’m here to help you change it if you want to go faster, better, cheaper. To learn more, schedule a call on my calendar. Follow me on LinkedIn. #LetsGrow!
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