Agency Relations Committee

The Agency Relations Committee is for client-side marketers who manage agency relationships and are looking to enhance and improve the client/agency relationship for the best business results. While the advertising agency is a crucial marketing partner, relations with other types of agencies are also considered (e.g., media, direct marketing, digital, social, and other specialty agencies). This committee provides a forum for education, networking, and discussion that helps elevate individuals in their respective organizations, as well as advance client/agency relationships throughout the industry.

• Co-Chair: Kerry Kielb, Director, Vendor and Agency Management, AT&T
• Co-Chair: Kwan Yim, Director, Global Agency Management, Citi

Contact the ANA staff managing the Agency Relations Committee:

• Greg Wright, Senior Vice President
• Peter Kenigsberg, Senior Director

Discussion Topics:

The Agency Relations Committee is open to all client-side marketer members.

Request to Join

Resources

• Supplier Diversity Resources
• Presentations and recaps from the 2025 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference
• The Agency Search and Selection Playbook
• Generative AI Use in Advertising Contracts
• ANA/4As Standardized RFI Template for Marketing Services
• 4As Agency Search Consultant List
• 4As Agency Search Tool

Thought Leadership

• Trends in Agency Compensation, 19th Edition (November 2025)
  The 19th Edition of the ANA's Trends in Agency Compensation Report offers essential benchmarks for marketing, finance, and procurement teams based on data from 99 member organizations. This comprehensive analysis details how the industry is managing its agency partnerships, examing the continued dominance of fee-based models versus a historic decline in performance incentives. It also provides timely insights into new areas, including the minimal impact of AI on current compensation structures and a first-ever benchmark for influencer agency fees and talent payment transparency. 
• ANA/4As Client-Agency AOR Relationship Tenure Report (April 2025)
  The strength of the relationship between clients and agencies is more important than ever. This report from the ANA and the 4As provides a detailed look at the tenure of agency of record relationships. The report offers key insights for both marketers and agencies, helping them to navigate the complexities of modern advertising and drive growth.
• Cost of the Pitch II: The Rise of Value (June 2024)
  While cost may be a factor in selecting an agency partner, 90 percent of clients prioritize overall value and long-term ROI. This report also found that trust and campaign performance/ROAS are the top two factors cited as keys to maintaining a successful long-term client/agency relationship. Despite the importance of value, the report identifies a significant industry-wide gap in defining and measuring value, with only 5 percent of clients and 10 percent of agencies having a formal definition in place.
• Decoding Compensation Models and Implementing the Right Model (April 2024)
  This joint initiative from the ANA and the 4A's, developed by a task force of ANA and 4A's members, is an executive-level guide that details various compensation models that focus on better outcomes for both marketers and their agencies. The guide outlines commonly used compensation models, provides foundational knowledge, definitions, best practices, and analysis of the pros and cons for each model. Moreover, it offers a framework enabling both agencies and marketers to determine the right model for their engagement and strategies for successful implementation.
• ANA/4A's Cost of the Pitch (July 2023)
  Historically, it has been understood that agencies devote significant resources to the defense of an existing account when put into review and to the pursuit of new business. Until now, however, there has been little if any data on the cost of any agency review to the client. The findings from this research identified a significant cost to the client when they run a review, as it is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. The cost implications, potential for disruptions in daily work, and delays in campaign and product launches, as well as the evident impact on partner relationships, should not be taken lightly.
• ANA/4A’s Agency Search Simplification Report (September 2022)
  The agency search/pitch process has become fraught with concerns by both agencies and clients. Both sides recognize the complexity of the process yet aspire for an opportunity to reach a mutually agreeable solution. The ANA and the 4A’s surveyed their respective members to understand the various pain points in the agency search process, as well as their value (or lack thereof) to the overall process. This report contains results of that survey, as well as key findings, conclusions, and next steps.