Revolutionising the Client-Agency Partnership

‍

Navigating the crowded world of marketing agencies has long been a pain point for businesses of all sizes. With a mission to redefine the client-agency relationship and make the process of agency selection seamless, Jumpstart Collective officially launched in October 2024 in Australia and New Zealand and is planning to expand to Europe in November 2024 and to the US in 2025.

‍

Co-founded by marketing veterans Alicent Wong and Martin Platenkamp, Jumpstart offers a fresh approach to building win-win partnerships between businesses and agencies, eliminating the frustrations that often lead to mismatched expectations and wasted resources.

‍

‍

The journey to revolutionise these partnerships has roots that go back several years. In 2017, Martin and Iain McDonald (ex co-founder of Amnesia Razorfish) organised the CEO Innovation Day - a groundbreaking event that brought together 50+ CEOs from top 100 ASX-listed and multinational corporations, alongside Australia’s top innovators. During the event, attendees discussed Australia’s innovation landscape, the challenges businesses face and how we can all come together to effectively address these challenges.

‍

Out of that event Jumpstart emerged to continue to foster innovation through bespoke events, like the CEO Innovation Day. However, it wasn’t until early 2022 that signalled the evolution of Jumpstart.

‍

Having worked at multinational and local agencies, Alicent noticed a massive gap in the market for a service that could bridge the client-agency divide - one that could connect businesses to right-fit agencies and marketing talent that understood their unique needs, budgets, and goals.

‍

Martin, who worked over the years on projects with clients in a fractional CMO position, started noticing the same gaps but from a client’s perspective. His clients were struggling time and again to find the right marketing agency that truly understood their mission and desired roadmap to success. Many tried to craft a full-blown in-house marketing team but this was quite a challenge not only from a right-fit talent sourcing point of view but also from a budget and a phased execution of strategy point of view.

‍

If the client had a full marketing and sales strategy for the year, they would tend to phase most projects by priority (ie rebrand in Q1, website overhaul in Q2, launch campaign in Q3, and so on). That did mean you likely needed different marketing talent in your team throughout the year. It sounds easy to do but does bring its challenges. Conclusion was that in many cases you’re better off working with an agency as well, besides your in-house team to spread the risk and cost (which could equal time, effort and/or headaches).

‍

A New Mission: Connecting Clients and Agencies with Purpose

‍

This mission became even clearer after Alicent and Martin applied the ‘Choose and Ask’ Method developed by Ryan Levesque, which they used to identify client pain points and refine Jumpstart’s goals. As a result, Jumpstart’s purpose crystallised: to offer clients a transparent, guided approach to finding and engaging with marketing agencies and talent tailored to their needs.

‍

As Martin explains, "Navigating the industry and finding the right partners can be a major challenge for any business. That’s why we created Jumpstart. With over 20 years of combined marketing experience, working with global brands like Apple and Microsoft, we understand what it takes to build partnerships that flourish."

‍

Jumpstart acts as a bridge, easing common obstacles for both clients and agencies in forming effective partnerships. Many clients feel overwhelmed by the range of marketing options and struggle to vet agencies effectively, while agencies often spend valuable resources onboarding clients who may not have a clear understanding of their needs or objectives.

‍

Jumpstart’s approach is twofold:

1. Preparing Clients with a Marketing Health Check

2. Vetting Agencies for Quality and Accountability

‍

Jumpstart is poised to transform the client-agency landscape, making it easier for businesses to find their ideal marketing partners while ensuring agencies connect with well-prepared clients. With roots in the 2017 CEO Innovation Day and a clear mission solidified in 2022, Jumpstart’s commitment to fostering meaningful, purpose-driven partnerships is just beginning to make waves across Australia and New Zealand - and soon, Europe and the US.

‍

To learn more about Jumpstart’s journey and how we're reshaping the future of client-agency collaboration, read the full article on Campaign Brief. You can visit the site by clicking HERE.