Inspiring Creative Agency Values & Principles in 2024
While values and principles seem old-fashioned to some, they remain essential for creative agencies.
Having clearly defined values and principles is even more critical for startups or those building a new agency. When you’re just starting, your brand identity might not be as established, so your values can act as a foundation that sets you apart and gives direction.
In this blog, we will discuss how to develop creative agency values and principles that inspire, as well as why these fundamental ideas are more than just customs.
Key Takeaways
- Agency values and principles set the tone for how an agency operates, how it builds relationships with clients, and how it differentiates itself from the competition.
- Creative agencies that craft their core values based on the truth that these principles must guide real actions and decisions will find more success.
- Though each agency may express them differently, successful creative agencies generally share a few common values.
- Embracing minimalism in creating core values ensures clarity and makes the agency’s principles easy to understand and live by.
- When deciding your agency’s core values, the first step is to identify your message.
What’s Inside
- What Are and Are Not Agency Values and Principles
- Common Values of Successful Creative Agencies
- Real-World Examples of Agency Values
- How to Decide Your Agency’s Core Values
What Are and Are Not Agency Values and Principles
While trends come and go and digital strategies evolve at a rapid pace, values and principles provide stability, direction, and purpose, no doubt. For startups and those building agencies, these core beliefs are not just a tradition—they’re a necessity for growth, trust, and long-term success.
In other words, we can’t get rid of them because they serve as the backbone of any successful agency, especially in an industry as dynamic as creative marketing.
For creative agencies, core values are far more than just words to display on a website or repeat in meetings—they are the foundation for guiding client relationships and driving everyday decisions. Simply posting them around the office or adding them to the website won’t create the impact that’s needed.
“Rather than moral reminders, core values are best used as a statement of what is exciting, critical, or inspirational” for your agency in particular.
They are crucial for setting the tone of your creative agency’s identity and attracting people. It also supports that both leadership and employees are aligned with the agency’s long-term vision.
It’s easy to come up with a list of generic corporate-sounding values, like customer service or environmental impact. But all too often, these statements’ vague nature makes them meaningless to the organization and the people in it.
– Brent Gleeson
Understanding that core values need to be more than just words is crucial when creating them. When core values are thoughtfully created with this in mind, they become powerful tools for building trust, fostering team alignment, and sustaining long-term growth.
Now, let’s see the common values of successful creative agencies.
Common Values of Successful Creative Agencies
Even though each creative agency may express them in its own way, there are several common values that successful agencies tend to embrace.
Fostering Diversity and Inclusion: It’s indeed a key value for many successful creative agencies.
Starting in today’s market, agency owners understand that diversity leads to fresh, innovative perspectives; and it is a key to standing out in a competitive industry. With clients increasingly valuing inclusive representation, having a diverse team allows a new agency to create more relatable campaigns.
What’s more, a BIMA (British Interactive Media Association) report on UK creative agencies found that 73% of agencies prioritize diversity and inclusion as a core value. It highlights the importance of supporting a diverse, equitable workplace in the UK’s creative industry.
For new agencies, embedding diversity and inclusion into the company’s core isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a smart business decision that encourages creativity, innovation, and client satisfaction.
As one of the most renowned independent creative agencies, Wieden+Kennedy is known for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. They emphasize diverse hiring practices and strive to create inclusive work environments.
Prioritizing Sustainability and Social Responsibility: As consumers and businesses alike grow more conscious of environmental and social issues, creative agencies are expected to lead the way in adopting ethical practices. For agencies, this value goes beyond aligning with societal trends—it reflects a deeper commitment to making a positive impact.
Agencies demonstrate their commitment to doing more than just making a profit by supporting community initiatives, speaking out for social causes, and ensuring that the brands they represent follow ethical standards.
Nice and Serious, one of the agencies embracing that core, is committed to making a positive social impact through its work. They create campaigns that promote sustainability, social justice, and other responsible business practices and aim to inspire positive change through creativity.
Balancing Creativity with Data-Driven Decision Making: This core value ensures that agencies create content or campaigns that resonate with target audiences, backed by insights from consumer behavior, market trends, and performance metrics. Using data helps to refine creative ideas, test concepts, and optimize outcomes.
It also reassures clients by demonstrating that the agency’s creative process is grounded in real-world insights, helping to make informed decisions that drive business growth.
As a well-known agency, Wunderman Thompson focuses on using data to inform creative strategies. They help brands harness customer insights to drive personalized creative campaigns and guarantee a balance between imaginative ideas and measurable outcomes.
Promoting Work-Life Balance and Employee Well-Being: In a field where creativity is the currency, overworking employees can stifle the innovation that agencies are built on.
For new creative agencies, promoting employee well-being can also be a key differentiator in attracting top talent, especially as today’s workforce increasingly values flexibility, mental health support, and a positive work environment.
In other words, it is a fundamental principle that improves client outcomes while also bolstering corporate culture.
Real-World Examples of Agency Values
How about getting some inspiration from real-world examples of creative agency values?
You can gain a better understanding of how to mold your values to fit with your mission, culture, and objectives by observing how prosperous creative agencies express and embody their core values.
Devotion’s core values are an excellent example of how clarity and simplicity can make a huge impact.
For agencies, especially those just starting, creating core values in this way can create a strong foundation for internal culture and external communication. Simplicity in values doesn’t mean they lack depth—it means they’re focused and powerful.
Creative Brand Design’s use of bullet points and short, impactful sentences for their core values is a smart approach. It keeps things digestible and to the point and ensures visitors can quickly grasp the agency’s identity & priorities.
This style is particularly effective because it reflects the agency’s focus on clarity and directness, which resonates with both clients and employees.
You can try that approach while identifying mission and vision statements as well.
Emote Digital’s approach to core values is another great example of how simplicity can be effective. By limiting their values (or “rules”) to just three and explaining each in short, clear sentences, they create a focused and memorable set of guiding principles.
For new or growing agencies, this approach shows how keeping things minimal can be a powerful way to communicate core values.
Favoured’s approach to core values under the names “Our Philosophy” and “Our Promise” is another excellent example of how to present these guiding principles in a way that is both engaging and easy to digest.
For agencies, presenting core values in this manner ensures they are both memorable and actionable; it makes it easier for clients and team members to connect with the agency’s philosophy.
Elite Digital’s approach to core values, with six focused principles that highlight what they excel at, is a powerful strategy. By showing these values on their main page, they not only showcase their strengths but also reinforce their identity as an agency.
For digital and creative agencies, prominently featuring well-crafted core values like Elite Digital does can help create a strong first impression, building trust and positioning the agency as a leader in specific areas of expertise.
How to Decide Your Agency’s Core Values
Setting values is as important as choosing your agency’s name—it defines who you are, what you stand for, and how you operate. Just as your name distinguishes your agency in the marketplace, your core values create the foundation for your internal culture and client relationships.
Here is a quick guide on defining your creative agency values:
#1: Identify your message First thing first: Find your message and your value proposition to identify your core values. Your values should reflect the essence of what your agency stands for and the unique message you want to communicate to both clients and your team.
Why did you start your business? What was missing in the marketplace before you entered? What major advantage does your business have over the others? All of these are questions you should be able to answer, and they will help you form your VP.
This foundational message will serve as the guiding principle for crafting values that are authentic, memorable, and aligned with your agency’s long-term vision. Once you have a clear message in mind, the rest of the process becomes easier—your core values should naturally flow from that overarching purpose.
#2: Align with client expectations: Consider what your clients expect from you. Your core values should not only speak to your internal culture but also resonate with your clients. Ask yourself what kind of agency your clients want to work with, and craft values that meet those expectations.
#3: Keep it simple: Unless there is a rule saying how many and how long your core values should be, it is recommended that you limit them to four. According to HBR, “Four is the maximum length of a list that people can usually remember. Over half of the Fortune 100, nevertheless, has five or more core values, which goes far in explaining the problem of low recall.”
So we can say that focusing on 3-6 core values is a good call. Too many can dilute their impact, while a focused set ensures they remain memorable and actionable.
#4: Make sure they are measurable: Measurability is a crucial aspect of establishing effective core values for your agency. If values can’t be measured or evaluated, they may remain abstract ideals rather than actionable principles.
Setting key performance indicators that align with your values is a good idea. If “innovation” is a core value, a KPI might be the number of new ideas implemented per quarter. For “Collaboration,” it could be the number of successful cross-team projects.
