Helping AdTech vendors build sustainable agency partnerships
Strong technology alone is rarely enough to secure agency spend.
AdTech vendors need to recognise the operational constraints agencies face when selecting which partners to activate and scale. These constraints include:
Limited time and capacity to evaluate new vendors
Formal procurement, legal, and approval processes
Client and reputational risk if performance falls short
Low tolerance for unclear differentiation or fragile models
Existing commitments to incumbent partners
Preference for solutions that perform reliably at scale
Back to Black is a specialist advisory that helps AdTech vendors navigate these constraints as AI reshapes agency workflows.
Our perspective is grounded in years of hands-on experience building and running agency partnerships, underpinned by strong commercial foundations and trusted personal relationships — elements AI cannot replace.
That is where we focus.
14
years building and structuring agency-AdTech partnerships
200+
signed agency level trading and commercial agreements
16
markets of active, hands-on partnership experience
We turn agency interest into recurring revenue through legally binding trading deals that drive value for brands, agencies, and partners.
Back to Black supports vendors through three key stages of working with agencies, providing a clear commercial solution at each stage.
Access
Convert agency interest into meetings with decision-makers who can approve test campaigns.
From interest to approval
Build
Protect and grow spend by aligning on rates and putting in place agency trading agreements.
From spend to partnerships
Control
Full review of agency agreements to support continued growth and avoid margin erosion.
From growth to stability
Each solution is designed to move agency partnerships forward with clarity and commercial credibility.
For over a decade, our team has operated at the intersection of brands, agencies and AdTech, building strong partnerships between vendors, agency holding groups and leading independent agencies.
This experience is underpinned by long-standing relationships with senior agency executives, account leads, and investment teams.
That trust and credibility translate into a strong willingness from agencies to meet, engage, and move quickly with the partners we represent.
Back to Black works with vendors for whom agency partnerships are central to their growth and long-term profitability.
AdTech vendors typically engage Back to Black at three key points:
Agency engagement exists but fails to convert into spend
Agency spend sits outside formal trading agreements
Margin pressure increases as investment expands