The best projects don’t come about through tenders, but around a shared table. The partnership between client and agency isn’t just a cliché – it’s the most valuable part of the creative process, turning advertising into art.
What do we enjoy most about our work? The fact that we are constantly meeting new people, companies, and brands. Every day, they are different, more interesting, bigger, bolder, and more demanding.
Thanks to them, we never grow old—at least not mentally. Every new project teaches us something new, pushes us forward, inspires us, and forces us to think differently.
We have built a service that is competitive throughout the Central European region. And perhaps even further afield. We may be small, but we are high quality. And I say that with absolute conviction.
Our greatest pride lies in our ability to serve even the most demanding customers.
Not only corporations, but also private clients, small family brands, and individuals with a vision.
Each of them is different – some need a precise brand book, some are looking for emotion in packaging, some just want a quiet partner to help them with what they cannot grasp themselves.
But they all have one thing in common: they expect excellent service, perfect customer care, and fantastic design.
The School of Central Europe
By working in various countries – from Slovakia and the Czech Republic to Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates – we have a unique opportunity to see how marketing is done and what management and communication look like across cultures.
And that is something that everyone who wants to understand this profession should experience.
We saw everything – fast-paced startup environments, strict corporate structures, but also family businesses that operate more on intuition than on processes.
Each of these environments has something to offer.
But I must admit that what interested me most was how companies in Austria and Germany approach cooperation with agencies.
And this was the case repeatedly.
Partner, not supplier
Their approach is completely different.
An advertising agency is not a “subcontractor” there.
It is not a company that delivers a logo, packaging, campaign, “issues an invoice and says goodbye.”
No.
There, they view it as a partnership.
Together, we are going to create something new.
Together, we are working on a project that will serve their brand, their customers, and their business.
And together, we feel it—from the first idea to the last pixel.
The process is not quick.
It is not cheap.
And it is not for everyone.
It takes months, sometimes even a year, to get to know each other.
To sit down at the table, at dinner, in the office, in the field.
To understand how the other person works, what their values are, how they think, what is important to them.
During this period, we don’t just talk about prices and deadlines.
We talk about how we will work together.
About our attitudes, how we respond to suggestions, how we approach compromise, aesthetics, and responsibility.
We may exchange trial assignments to see how we respond, what skills we have.
But never—and this is crucial—do we embark on a project before we mutually decide that we are going to do it together.
And when that moment comes, when the client says:
“Yes, this is the agency we want to work with,”
that’s when it begins.
Not a tender. Not a battle for the budget.
But a joint effort.
And now for the contrast
On the other hand, in Eastern Europe and the Balkans (unfortunately, there is a correlation here), we still adhere to a model that I would call—pardon my frankness—a blind date.
The client issues a tender, asks agencies to prepare a concept, creative work, strategy—everything.
Without getting to know each other. Um, excuse me, but we’re going to have a call, right?
No context, no relationship, no trust. And no budget. (The initial costs on the agency’s side can reach thousands of euros. Is your project really worth such a risk?)
And then they decide based on the presentation they liked best.
Sometimes based on price.
Sometimes based on who has the nicer packaging.
But rarely based on partnership.
And that’s a shame.
Because the best work is only created where people understand each other.
Where they trust each other.
Where the agency is not just a supplier, but a co-author.
Let’s learn to create together
I would like to see this change.
I would like us to be inspired by those who do things with greater calm, greater confidence, and a longer-term perspective.
I would like to see long-term relationships being formed here, not just “projects.”
That we allow ourselves to sit together longer, listen to each other more, get to know each other better.
Because that is the only way to create something of value.
I remember when I was 18.
A designer—young, cocky, full of ideas.
The worst thing I could imagine at the time was that a client would “meddle” in my work.
I had it clear in my head: I am an artist, I know best what is good.
And the client? Let them just pay.
Today, I smile about it. Because I know it was a mistake. The biggest one in my professional life. That’s why I laugh today when I meet a soloist. He still hasn’t realized that we have to do it all together. (I don’t want to sound pathetic, but maybe it has a deeper meaning.)
Today I want the client at the table
Today, I want the client to sit next to me.
So that we can draw, think, try, and change things together.
So that we can look for solutions together.
Because the moment we stop acting like two sides of a “business deal” and start working as one team, that’s when the best things happen.
It’s not just a phrase. It’s experience.
From projects we’ve done for small family brands and large international companies.
Whenever there was trust, the result was something we could all be proud of.
And whenever there wasn’t, it ended up feeling more like a “delivery.”
Soulless.
Maybe it’s time to think
Perhaps it is time for us as a region—as Central and Eastern Europe—to stop fearing cooperation.
And to start valuing partnerships more.
Perhaps it is time to stop tendering concepts and start building relationships.
Because relationships are what ultimately bring about the best creativity.
Give it a try.
Call your agency, sit down together, talk.
Not about contracts and prices.
But about what you want to achieve, what you enjoy, what annoys you, how you work, where you are headed.
You may find that something much bigger than just another campaign will come out of it.
Not a tender.
Not a selection process.
But a joint effort.
