Anna Magliano.
The agency-client relationship is often the difference between good work and game-changing results.
This conversation highlights that the future of media partnerships hinges on more than just transactional exchanges.
It's about genuine collaboration, proactive guidance, and a deep understanding of each other's worlds. As the landscape continues to evolve, agencies and clients who truly become extensions of one another will undoubtedly achieve the greatest successes.
Kaimera’s Chief Client Officer, Anna Magliano, sits down with Chris Reeves, Executive Manager, Consumer Marketing at REA Group:
Anna: Thanks for sitting down with us, Chris.
Chris: Always a pleasure.
Anna: Let’s start with the big one: how do you define the value of a strong media agency partnership?
Chris: At its best, it’s about trust, alignment, and real collaboration. Yes, we need strong day-to-day execution, but equally, we want senior leaders on the agency side to understand our business and proactively lean in. When everyone’s aligned - from strategic leads to media planners - that’s when the real value kicks in.
Anna: So, strong communication, strategic depth, and the occasional well-timed phone call before we hit send?
Chris: That’s right. And ideally, knowing our brands and business objectives as well as we do.
Anna: Working on it. Now, looking beyond the day job - where do you think agencies could add more value, but often don’t?
Chris: Helping us navigate change. The media landscape moves fast – audience fragmentation, new channels, AI. We need more than responses to briefs; we want guidance, foresight, and a point of view on where the industry’s heading. Bring it to the table.
Anna: So, less reaction, more direction. Understood.
Chris: Exactly.
Anna: So, in the boardroom... are we helping you look good where it matters?
Chris: You are when you connect media investment to business impact. We’ve embedded consistent measurement frameworks - our stakeholders get it, and so does our agency. But we’re always evolving, testing new tools, and expect our partners to evolve with us.
Anna: Music to our ears. New tools are our love language. Okay, be honest - where do agencies tend to overpromise and underdeliver?
Chris: In my experience under-delivery can often come down to depth of understanding. Agencies bring great expertise, but if they don’t truly understand our business, the work can miss the mark. The best outcomes come when agencies act like an extension of our team - immersed, invested, and informed.
Anna: So, less “agency partner,” more “honorary employee”?
Chris: Exactly. Know our brands, our products, and our priorities. That’s how the best work gets done.
Anna: Let’s talk AI - how do you see it shaping agency relationships?
Chris: It’s moving quickly. It should amplify agency capability - accelerate planning, enhance insights - but we still need good judgement, creativity, and commercial acumen.
Anna: So while AI boosts capability, the human element stays front and centre. If you had a magic media wand, what would you fix?
Chris: A unified audience measurement system across all video - linear TV, BVOD, digital. It would simplify planning and make budgets work harder.
Anna: A modest ask, really.
Chris: Dream big.
Anna: Finally - what would a future-fit agency look like?
Chris: One that stays ahead. Anticipates needs, shares best practice, adapts before disruption hits. Always one step ahead – and makes sure we are too.
Anna: Bold, visionary… and truly a partnership built for the future. We are on it.
Chris: We will hold you to that.