Building agency partnerships in an AI-driven world
In a world obsessed with automation and efficiency, agency partnerships still start with people, built through connections, conversations and trusted relationships.
But turning those relationships into agency spend requires building partnerships around how agencies actually operate, and the constraints they face when selecting and scaling partners, including:
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 helping AdTech vendors navigate these constraints as AI reshapes how agencies operate.
Our perspective comes from years of building and running agency partnerships where strong commercial foundations and trusted relationships are what actually drive revenue.
That’s 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 structured trading agreements that drive value for brands, agencies, and partners.
Back to Black supports vendors through three key stages of working with agencies.
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, we have operated at the intersection of brands, agencies and AdTech, building strong partnerships between vendors and both Hold Cos and independent performance agencies.
This experience is underpinned by long-standing relationships with agency execs, 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