‘Conflict is just fear in disguise’: When is client friction good for an agency?

Sam Williams, head of strategy, AMV BBDO: “A new investment in brand comms, a new campaign shot and ready for playout… and then a last-minute curveball as the Currys brand and marketing director, Dan Rubel, threatened to pull the campaign as he felt it was ‘just too weird.’ We were still in the very early days of ‘Beyond Techspectations’ and he feared the outlandish humor would be too divisive – would ‘beards of wisdom’ and eating instruction manuals push the British public over the edge? The agency still strongly believed in the work, arguing that in a crowded, low-attention category, the enemy of effectiveness is neutrality. We simply couldn’t afford to have people ignore us. To move forward, we proposed a new way of testing creative, where viewers’ emotive responses could be more closely aligned to the business’s golden KPIs. Thankfully, we smashed all the benchmarks and with gold stars in testing, the campaign went live, going on to deliver double-digit ROI growth. We now use this methodology for all work going through Currys and while it was touch and go for a hot minute, this moment of friction ultimately created the conditions for more ambitious, more creative and, most importantly, more effective work in our partnership with Currys.”

Barney Worfolk-Smith, chief growth officer, Daivid: “In a previous agency life, I was jokingly called ‘director of piss ups and awkward conversations.’ It was the awkward conversations that did more to hit our bottom line than the celebratory times. With one client, a bank, we had a tough start to our relationship. Our account manager left unexpectedly and, above all, the key client and stakeholders were not buying into the social dream we’d sold. I booked in the ‘awkward conversation’ and went to sell in the ideas again. I challenged the push-back and we had a hugely productive talk where they gave us the full lowdown of internal politics. Not only did it increase our work with the client, servicing other parts of the business, but it gave rise to our monthly ‘fireside chats’ where we would be open and honest to each other about bones of contention.”

Susie McAvoy, managing director, Mx: “The most productive meeting I’ve ever had was also the most uncomfortable. We’d brought strong work to the table, yet the client kept circling back with challenges. Instead of finding alternative approaches to ensure our work landed properly, we dug in. We pushed, questioned and even disagreed. It was tense at times, but that friction unlocked the truth: the brief was playing it too safe. Once we said it out loud, everyone felt it. From there, the work shifted gears to become bolder, sharper and far more effective. I quickly learned that securing half-hearted nods around the table doesn’t cut it. A healthy dose of honest conversation can elevate the final outcome beyond all expectations.”

Justine Allan, executive director, strategic business development, Pearlfisher: “When we share strategy and creative with clients, friction often emerges. But friction is not only completely natural – it’s valuable. It’s important, however, to distinguish between provocation and friction: We strive for the right kind of friction in our client meetings, which signals that we’re provoking thought, stretching perspectives and opening space for new possibilities. This provocation is intentional. It’s about sparking curiosity, encouraging clients to see differently and pushing ideas beyond the obvious. Unproductive friction happens when you haven’t built trust with the client. It leads to debate that feels combative or personal, which can cause defensiveness rather than progress.”

Lauren Shakil, director of accounts, Bald Agency: “The best work almost always comes after a little friction. One client once pushed back hard on a bold concept, calling it ‘too risky’ in the room. That sparked a heated debate where we laid out why safe ideas were not moving the needle and they admitted their hesitation was more about internal politics than the actual work. Once that was out in the open, the energy shifted. We reframed the creative to help them sell it internally and it ended up being one of their most successful campaigns. Conflict is usually just fear in disguise. When you meet it head-on, it does not break the relationship. It builds trust and proves you have your client’s back, even when they are uncomfortable.”

Asher Wren, senior vice-president, growth, Dept: “We were pitching a luxury wine company for creative agency-of-record. The brief was to bring the next generation of luxury wine drinkers into their brand. Only, we did our homework and found that there is no ‘next generation of luxury wine drinker.’ Contrary to popular belief, young people do still drink. But not luxury wine. It’s a category that they don’t believe is ‘for them,’ full of stuffy brands and 5pm meat-and-veg dinners. It’s not easy to tell a brand that they are existentially at risk. But we were happy to have the hard conversation, backed by research and rigor. Ultimately, we agreed that they had set the wrong challenge. We didn’t need to introduce the next generation to their brand; we needed to make the whole category a space for the next generation. In the end, we were the only agency that pitched the right brief and we won.”

Dominic Goldman, founder and chief creative officer, You’re The Goods: “We live by a simple motto: Be hard on the work, kind to the people. Friction is part of that process. When you challenge the work in the right spirit, conflict becomes fuel. It sharpens thinking and stops good from blocking great. I often think of the Braintrust meetings in Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull’s book Creativity Inc, where unfiltered feedback was at the core of Pixar’s long-term success. The same is true in agencies. Healthy friction only works when there is trust and the best clients are the ones who embrace that spirit. They know it comes from care. We push, we debate and the work is always stronger for it.”

Stacie Boney, president, Hanson Dodge: “It was our first creative assignment for a big new client: four client levels, all seeing the work together. We led clients through our feedback approach, where all voices are heard and levels get checked at the door. A robust discussion with lots of healthy debate ensued; the agency recommendation was approved: ‘Wow! These clients are amazing – really listening, openly debating and aligning in a single meeting!’ The next day, the No 2 client pulled me aside: ‘That was a terrible meeting… the general manager is furious… we can never have a meeting like that again!’ Debating openly, junior clients going up against seniors in public, the agency talking back – all heresy for them. But knowing they had fired their last agency to drive change, I met with the top leaders to plead the case for embracing discomfort. They did. We went on to do business-building, Cannes-winning work together.”

Gregg S Lipman, founding partner, CBX: “Friction in client relationships often comes from the basics: surprises, money, process or even research results that don’t hit right. I’ve seen tension spark when the B team shows up for the A team handoff, or when ideas are dropped half-finished, or when work looks misaligned with the brief – all manageable, all unnecessary. I even had a client push back once on packaging design because they were convinced that we were overstepping. But that moment forced a deeper dialogue about roles and priorities and helped us get to where we needed to be. Agencies earn respect; respect over time turns to trust; trust turns to professional intimacy. And the upside of intimacy is that you’ve created the sort of space needed to push for bold ideas which break convention – diamonds, if you will.”

Paul Birks-Hay, president, Park & Battery: “A client relationship can be so good that it’s bad. Knowing how to produce work your client will love (and that you love making) sounds idyllic, but if it’s no longer the right work, then continuing is simply perpetuating a dangerous cycle of mutual reinforcement that’ll cost you the business. I once experienced this with a pillar client that had been with us for a decade. Challenging the status quo felt like committing sacrilege. It turned out to be anything but. When your intentions are clear (doing the right thing by your client and the work) and when there’s still a depth of trust between everyone involved (because you stood up and called it early), opening this kind of ‘risky’ conversation can be the first step of a journey that brings you closer together. It was for us and what followed was Cannes-winning work and many more years together.”

Jonathan Emmins, founder, Amplify: “No one would have wished for the pandemic, but it was a friction that most definitely challenged the status quo. Stressful as it was, it forced marketers on both sides to think differently and compromise in finding new solutions in planning and production. For example, launching the PS5 when the world was in lockdown meant ripping up the rule book – instead of midnight store openings, gaming fans gathered online. So, friction isn’t failure. Friction is where the magic happens. It proves the client cares enough to push and that we’re listening closely enough to be pushed. Avoid it and you end up with a sea of sameness. It’s often in moments of friction and adversity that the strongest client–agency relationships are built and creativity is pushed further.”