Affinity has repositioned as a growth accelerator, becoming the latest company to veer away from identifying as an agency.
Angela Smith, Affinity co-founder and chief brand officer, told Mediaweek her focus is that “clients realise that we are a business, not an agency.”
Smith said the repositioning was the “next logical step” in Affinity’s evolution after a decade of developing systems that deliver results for the entire C-suite.
She noted that as Affinity became increasingly adept at leveraging data for marketers, it was natural for the agency to expand its focus to broader business growth.
“I think it’s about maturity — as independent thinkers with significant experience, we constantly reassess the market, its needs, and how to meet those needs.”
Co-founder and group CEO Luke Brown noted that defining the business as a growth accelerator was based on the Hedgehog Principle, by business author Jim Collins, of identifying what sets the business apart from similar businesses to maximise cash flow.
“Our journey has always been about driving measurable growth,” Brown said. “It’s something we’ve consistently done for every client. And as our conversations broadened to a range of client executives beyond marketing, we found that our proven growth credentials had universal appeal.”
Brown said many agencies define themselves by what they produce, such as ads, earned media, or social content, not by the value they create. He noted that this approach “brings them closer to extinction.”
“Unfortunately, agencies suffer from Maslow’s law of instruments—if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail—more media or ads,” Brown continued.
“Our aim has always been to be trusted advisors who act in the best interests of the businesses that hire us. We look for unrealised potential and the smartest levers to drive growth and create value.”
Former holdco creative agency execs Cam Blackley and Emily Taylor opened up their own creative shop this year, deliberately avoiding the word ‘agency’. Taylor told Mediaweek the word “feels like it has quite a lot of baggage for clients, at least the ones we spoke to. Whether that’s because they default to ads as the solution or because they’re focused on the creative ideas they want to make, not the work the brand needs.”
Smith said Affinity advises clients to invest in areas that will benefit the business rather than spend money on ads, which has built trust and positioned the agency as partners and advisors, rather than just suppliers.
She noted that the new growth accelerator positioning emphasises the wider conversation of engaging the CEO and the CMO to drive changes that have a measurable impact.
“Clients can expect a healthier, more profitable, and sustainable business through our no-nonsense, efficient, and tangible process,” she said.
“CMOs are often frustrated because marketing needs to be viewed as the business engine from a whole-business perspective. Our 6DP offering bridges this gap by connecting marketing to the broader business strategy,” she added.
6DP, or the Six Dimensions of Potential, is a codified system of principles. Brown says they allow the agency to identify and leverage client growth opportunities.
“This isn’t just a marketing solution; it’s about making a direct, long-lasting impact on our clients’ bottom line. We’ve found that working alongside the broader C-level allows us to make a more significant and measurable impact on their business.”
Brown said success can be distilled down to the impact on bottom lines.
“We aim to see meaningful, measurable changes in our clients’ businesses that go beyond traditional marketing metrics.”
Looking ahead, Smith hinted at upcoming partnerships and hires. Affinity recently added Emma Shepherd as communications director and Gavin Sommer as general manager.
“But I expect there’ll be the haters and denouncers. To quote Brene Brown (no relation), ‘if they’re in the cheap seats, I don’t really care for their opinion.'”
She is looking forward to engaging with different perspectives from the market on the agency’s growth accelerator positioning.
“I’m excited to have some robust debate and interesting friction around our proposition, healthy curiosity and open-mindedness about what we’re offering.”
Brown added he is looking forward to working with “ambitious and like-minded people who understand the need for partnership to identify the right changes” and having “robust debates and healthy curiosity about our proposition.”
“We’re tired of the rhetoric around the end of agencies; we’re actively doing something about it.”