Today’s guest is Sam Hawkey, CEO EMEA at Digitas and former CEO of both Saatchi & Saatchi and AMV BBDO. He shares his perspective on how clients and agencies must evolve together.

He talks about prioritising genuine client fit – getting beyond the excitement to really understanding the likelihood of working well together. Sam unpacks his two most important criteria – the client's readiness for change and their willingness to adopt new commercial models.

He also talks about the impact of genuine differentiation, as well as how Digitas promise and then deliver on outcomes, enabling clients to pay them in modern and progressive ways.

Practical, optimistic and grounded in experience, this is a thoughtful conversation about building stronger client relationships and a more sustainable agency future.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[04:00] From advertising to CX

[07:30] An orchestration mindset

[09:18] Preparing clients for change

[14:38] Expectations build trust

[17:29] Substance and charisma

[24:12] Knowing when to walk away

[29:18] Relationships change remuneration

[33:42] Creating pricing power

[37:25] Sharing responsibility for change

MORE ABOUT SAM:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samhawkey

Website: digitas.com/en-ae

HOST SOCIALS:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robinbonn

Twitter: twitter.com/robonn

MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

4As Blog: Before Reinventing Pricing, Agencies Must Reinvent Value

MORE ABOUT CO:DEFINERY:

Website: codefinery.com

Book: Market of One

Mentioned in this episode:

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