It Takes a Village: Rethinking Procurement and Agency Partnership
At the 2025 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, one of the most cross-reaching sessions came not from a keynote or case study, but from a candid, sometimes humorous, sometimes brutally honest conversation between two very seasoned professionals: Jim Akers and Joanne Davis. Their talk tackled a tension that many of us feel but rarely address head-on: the evolving (and often misunderstood) relationship between procurement teams and their agency partners.
In an industry obsessed with transformation, it was striking how many of the same debates persist. Jim — veteran of Diageo, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Avis Budget — reminded us that fifteen years ago, he chaired the same ANA conference and faced the same questions. “If I put the 2010 and 2025 agendas side by side,” he joked, “the topics are nearly interchangeable.” His point wasn’t cynical; it was a call to action.
Their presentation centered around a survey of procurement professionals, marketers, and agencies. The data surfaced hard truths and common frustrations — and more importantly, offered a path forward.
The Power (and Pitfalls) of Language
Jim and Joanne kicked off with what might seem like semantics, but which cuts to the heart of agency respect: the word “vendor.” In the survey, 59% of agency respondents said they want to stop being called vendors. It was the most offensive term in the list — above even “supplier.” Jim shared a short and funny quiz with the room to get his point across. At the end of it, Jim pointed out, “You wouldn’t call your oncologist a cancer treatment vendor, so why do it here?”
This sparked reflection for many in the room. In marketing procurement, where we pride ourselves on precision, why do we reach for the most commoditized language to describe some of our most strategic partners?
The message was clear: if we want agencies to act like partners, we need to treat them as such. That starts with language, but it doesn’t end there.
Mutual Pressure, Misunderstood Roles
Another theme that resonated was the mutual pressure both sides face — but rarely acknowledge to each other. Procurement is often under pressure to reduce costs, streamline suppliers, and answer to finance leaders who may not grasp the nuances of brand building. Agencies, on the other hand, are navigating shrinking margins, volatile client needs, and increasing competition for talent.
Joanne put it succinctly: “Procurement thinks agencies don’t understand their internal pressure. Agencies think procurement doesn’t care about creativity. Both are a little bit right — and both are very wrong.”
Respect Isn’t Free — It’s Earned Through Behavior
Jim and Joanne weren’t afraid to challenge both sides. They offered a checklist of what good partnership looks like — and what erodes it.
For procurement:
- Learn the language of marketing. Know what a storyboard looks like. Attend a creative review. Show up.
- Stop obsessing over hourly rates. A senior creative may cost more, but they’ll do the work faster, better, and with less back-and-forth.
- Recognize the value created, not just the units delivered. Be as fluent in brand impact as you are in cost savings.
For agencies:
- Learn the basics of procurement. Answer the question that’s asked — then add your context.
- Be transparent. If you’re moving away from time sheets, that’s fine. But explain how you’re pricing and what value you’re driving.
- Acknowledge internal client pressures. Sometimes savings targets aren’t negotiable. Help your client look good — and they’ll fight for your budget.
At RAUS Global, we see this tension play out daily. One of our core beliefs is that sustainable agency relationships are built not just on scope and savings, but on aligned incentives and mutual empathy. We’ve worked with brands and agencies alike to shift language, reframe value, and translate between commercial strategy and creative ambition. What Jim and Joanne outlined on stage is what we do behind the scenes for our clients — and it’s long overdue for mainstream adoption.
Let’s Talk About Tools
The conversation also touched on procurement platforms and templates — those infamous Excel sheets that get passed around in RFPs. The advice? Don’t send them blindly. Customize. Humanize. And for agencies: don’t treat them as bureaucratic nonsense. They exist for a reason.
Jim made an important point here: procurement is often the translator between marketing and finance. “We’re speaking both languages — so help us make the case.”
In our client work, RAUS Global often find ourselves in the middle of careful translation and “homogenization” of diverse goals and aspirations so that everyone achieve successful outcomes together.
Real Stories, Real Stakes
What elevated the session beyond theory were the personal stories. Joanne shared one example from the early days of the pandemic, when a client in the travel sector had to cancel all agency contracts. One agency offered to pause retainers and stay on call, unpaid, until travel resumed. That act of partnership led to a contract renewal — and a relationship that continues today.
Jim recalled Diageo’s one-page creative brief process: all agencies were briefed simultaneously and pitched collaboratively. The best idea won — and everyone rallied around it. No hierarchy, no silos, just the best work rising to the top.
The Bottom Line
Toward the end of the session, Jim introduced a metaphor: the difference between a puzzle and a mystery. A mystery may never be solved. A puzzle can be. The agency-procurement relationship, he argued, is a puzzle — and it’s on all of us to solve it.
That starts with shared goals, honest communication, and a recognition that respect isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation of performance.
At RAUS Global, we believe solving this puzzle is not just possible — it’s essential. The future of marketing depends on partnerships that are built for today’s complexity: agile, transparent, and grounded in mutual accountability. This session reminded us just how far we still must go — and how much we all stand to gain by getting it right.
And just maybe — it starts with retiring the word “vendor.”
