What Happens When Your Agency Outgrows Its Market
Many agency leaders eventually reach a point where growth slows. It’s not because they’ve stopped working hard, but because the market around them has shifted. The audience that once fueled their success has become crowded or commoditized. Competitors sound the same, projects feel transactional, and new opportunities seem harder to find. So they start looking outward: “Maybe we should go after a new industry.” Or, “We’ve done a little of this new service, maybe that’s our next big thing.” The instinct is right, but the approach is often speculative. Choosing your next market or offering shouldn’t rely on hunches or trends. It should be backed by insight and data. If this sounds familiar, here’s a more strategic way to think about your next move. Start with a diagnostic across three lenses: Right to Win (Internal Fit): Where do you already have credibility and capability? Look for industries or offerings where you have meaningful results, relationships, or insider experience. Market Potential (External Fit): Where is there real opportunity? Assess market size, growth, and competitive saturation. Not every “hot” sector is worth the chase. Differentiation Potential (Strategic Fit): Where can you say something truly unique? Seek spaces with whitespace—where your perspective or methodology can stand out. Also, don’t overlook the signals you already have: recent RFPs, inbound inquiries, and client or prospect conversations often reveal emerging patterns and areas of pull that can guide direction. Plot each potential audience or service on this matrix. The top-right, where you have capability and opportunity, is your next space to win. Once you’ve narrowed your focus, run a short Problem Discovery Sprint: gather feedback, conduct a few interviews, and identify 1–2 urgent problems you’re best positioned to solve. From there, craft a hypothesis-based point of view—statements that start with “We believe…”—and test their resonance through prospect conversations, email engagement, and social response. The ideas that spark curiosity and dialogue point toward your strongest thought leadership. Growth rarely happens by accident. The agencies that break through don’t chase every possibility. They choose the right ones, then go deep.
From Film to the C-Suite: Matthew Lieberman’s Creative Edge
In This Article Why It Matters Their Path, in Short Big Themes From the Conversation How They Choose the Right Agency Partners What Stood Out The Inside Scoop Why It Matters Matthew Lieberman’s career doesn’t look like the typical path to becoming a CMO—because it isn’t. He started in film, built his business muscles inside PwC, and eventually led one of the largest marketing transformations in professional services. Now he’s stepped into Cooley, a global law firm known for shaping tech and life science giants. His journey matters because it blends creativity, analytics, and a challenger mindset—exactly the mix many CMOs talk about but few actually live. And for agencies, he offers a clear window into how a modern marketing leader thinks, evaluates partners, and chooses who gets a seat at the table. Their Path, in Short Matthew grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by the energy of the entertainment world. He stayed local for school, dual-majoring in business and film at USC. That mix of creativity and commercial thinking would become a thread through everything that followed. His first job was on the creative side of film—script reading, project development, and shaping stories. He loved it. It taught him how powerful storytelling can be, and how every idea benefits from a creative lens. But he also felt a pull toward the business side of the industry. His studio encouraged him to get his master’s degree, promising him a spot on the business team when he returned. While in grad school, he ended up interviewing at PwC—a firm he only knew as his studio’s auditor. He joined a rotational program that pushed him into an entirely different world: financial modeling, diligence work, and working with major entertainment and media companies. He thought he’d stay two years. He stayed much longer. Eventually, he felt it was time for something new. PwC countered by asking what they could do to keep him. Matthew said marketing looked interesting. At the time, marketing inside professional services was almost entirely events and long-form printed thought leadership. But research—developing insights, shaping points of view, building arguments—spoke to him. So he jumped. That decision set off a long run inside PwC’s marketing organization. He led marketing for entertainment and media. He stepped into roles that felt outside his comfort zone, including leading marketing for the consulting practice. Then he became CMO. During his tenure, the firm went through massive change: new technology, new data capabilities, new buyer expectations, and new competition. Matthew led a full transformation—rebuilding structure, redefining roles, centralizing processes, modernizing the MarTech stack, and aligning marketing with the firm’s business goals. After years of nonstop travel, he relocated full-time to Palm Springs during the pandemic. Later, Cooley approached him. He saw a firm he admired for its culture, its clients, and its entrepreneurial spirit. And he saw another moment ripe for transformation—similar to what he’d lived through at PwC. That sparked the next chapter of his journey. Big Themes From the Conversation One theme that keeps surfacing in Matthew’s story is the courage to run toward something new. When he moved from film to business, and later from consulting to marketing, he did it because he wanted the challenge—not because he was running away from anything. A mentor once asked him, “Are you running from something or to something?” That question still shapes how he leads and how he advises others. Another theme is confidence mixed with humility. Matthew talked openly about imposter syndrome and the value of saying, “I don’t know the answer to this.” He believes leaders should experiment, test, and learn—even when the path isn’t obvious. That mindset helped him push boundaries, question old habits, and rethink long-standing traditions inside large organizations. He also carries a deep belief in the power of creative thinking. His film background didn’t fade once he left Hollywood; it shows up in how he evaluates ideas, how he shapes stories internally, and how he believes modern marketing should look. Creativity, for him, is not a “nice to have”—it’s a business driver. Another throughline is his commitment to team building. One of his mentors taught him the importance of always being present for his team, encouraging new ideas, and bringing people together. Matthew sees leadership as service: giving people clarity, supporting their growth, and creating an environment where they can do their best work. Watch CMO Journey Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Matthew how he finds agency partners, he didn’t hesitate—relationships matter. Referrals and past experiences still play a major role, both in his PwC years and at Cooley. But that’s only the starting point. At Cooley, he also looks for agencies that can fill specific capability gaps. Search capacity, advanced creative thinking, new technologies—anything that brings in skills his team doesn’t have yet. When an agency reaches out and says, “Here’s something we can do that you may not know about,” that gets his attention. It helps him learn what’s possible and what tools or capabilities he might not be aware of. He also participates in formal RFP processes when needed, often involving procurement teams to build a pool of candidates. But even in a structured process, he avoids a one-size-fits-all approach. Sometimes a hold-co agency with broad resources works. Other times a boutique with deep expertise is the better choice. For Matthew, the answer is almost always a blend. But the biggest differentiator, he says, is personalization. He’s seen major agencies walk in and talk about themselves for an hour. That approach falls flat. The agencies that stand out do the opposite: they show they understand the company, its goals, and its context. They listen. They co-create. They don’t force a rigid work plan—they collaborate on one. Thought leadership also plays a role. Matthew reads constantly, especially on planes. He pays attention to trend-hunting content—even if it’s B2C—because it helps him connect dots in the B2B world. He values case studies and insights on how other companies structure their
Jess Alpert’s Unconventional Path to Modern Marketing Leadership
Executive: Jessica “Jess” Alpert, Chief Marketing Officer Company: EPM (Equity Prime Mortgage), Atlanta Industry: Wholesale B2B mortgage lending Company Snapshot: Mid-sized U.S. lender serving independent brokers nationwide Format: CMO Journeys Interview In This Article Why It Matters Their Path, in Short Big Themes From the Conversation How They Choose the Right Agency Partners What Stood Out The Inside Scoop Why It Matters Jessica “Jess” Alpert has taken one of the most unconventional routes into a CMO role you’ll ever hear. She built a fashion brand, ran a creative agency, helped steer major tech marketing, and rebuilt her entire skill set to master data-driven marketing. Her journey is a reminder that high-impact leaders aren’t always shaped by traditional paths. They’re shaped by curiosity, grit, and the willingness to reinvent. For agencies, her perspective offers rare clarity on what truly earns a CMO’s attention. Their Path, in Short Jess began her career by watching people — literally sitting in Nordstrom and observing what customers bought, what they ignored, and how they behaved. That curiosity led her to create an accessories brand built around functional, one-size-fits-all pieces. The business grew fast, expanding into a New York showroom and gaining traction through word of mouth and smart positioning. When she eventually shifted out of fashion, she didn’t go looking for stability. She built her own creative agency, helping brands identify their real pain points and crafting activations that turned heads. One of her most memorable projects was for Faber-Castell, where she created a trade show experience so engaging that attendees clogged the aisle to get a closer look. Her agency work put her on Samsung’s radar, and she soon found herself inside a global tech operation where creativity met data. That’s where she noticed a shift happening. The marketing world wasn’t running on “I feel” anymore. It was running on dashboards and analytics. Instead of resisting it, Jess made one of the boldest moves of her career: she stepped backward in title so she could learn modern marketing from the inside out. She embraced CRM systems, segmentation techniques, analytics, lifecycle thinking — everything that would make her a hybrid leader who could blend creative instinct with measurable results. That hybrid mindset now guides her leadership approach. Big Themes From the Conversation Creativity as a mindset, not a department. Jess doesn’t see creativity as something reserved for copywriters or designers. To her, it shows up in segmentation, user journeys, and every interaction that shapes the customer experience. Curiosity drives everything. She’s always scanning the market, listening for pain points, and asking what people actually need. That instinct powered her early fashion success and still guides her marketing decisions today. Leadership means listening and then moving. Jess listens to her teams, absorbs ideas quickly, and then chooses a direction. She categorizes ideas fast: run with this, refine this, parking lot that. It gives people clarity and builds momentum. She values authenticity over polish. Whether she’s talking about brand tone, internal culture, or agency relationships, she wants work that feels real, not overproduced or overly safe. Execution beats theory. One of her core beliefs: “A brainstorm without execution is just fluff.” It summarizes her entire career philosophy. Watch CMO Journey Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Jess how she finds and evaluates agency partners, she didn’t hesitate. She values energy, preparation, and genuine connection above everything else. She often discovers agencies at events, where she can meet people face-to-face and get a feel for how they think. She pays attention to the ones who show enthusiasm, bring smart ideas to the table, and genuinely care about the work. If someone lights up when talking about a concept, she notices. If they nitpick retainers and nickel-and-dime hours, she notices that too — and not in a good way. Jess gravitates toward partners who “grow tentacles,” as she put it. Those are the agencies that take a project and expand it with creativity, fresh thinking, and a proactive mindset. They don’t wait to be told what to do. They come with ideas that stretch beyond the assignment. Over time, they integrate so naturally into the team that at an event someone might mistake them for internal staff. Thought leadership also plays a role, but not in the way most agencies expect. Jess doesn’t spend time scanning trade publications. She’s not combing through Ad Age or Adweek looking for clues about agencies. What actually catches her attention is useful, recurring, educational content. She shared an example of an agency that hosts a weekly AI webinar. It was so relevant and so timely that she immediately asked to be added to the list. She loved the idea of a certification tied to it, even envisioning badges people could list on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is her primary discovery platform. Not for resume scanning, but for seeing how agencies talk about their work. She’s drawn to people inside agencies: creative directors, strategists, and team leads who show the process behind a project. She wants to see what the initial pain point was, how the team solved it, and what changed along the way. That transparency tells her more about an agency’s capabilities than any award submission ever could. Awards, for her, are nice, but not persuasive. They give a stamp of approval, sure, but she wants to know what the award was for and whether the thinking behind it was truly fresh. She’s unimpressed by cookie-cutter agencies that do the same work for every client. She wants partners who take risks, think tactically, and deliver ideas no one else is bringing. And when it comes to outreach, she has a clear preference: show up prepared. She dislikes it when agencies use the first meeting to learn about the company. She wants partners who walk in already understanding the business, its customers, and the challenges it faces — not as an agency, but as a consumer. That level of preparation instantly separates the people she wants to work
Inside EPM’s Re-Messaging Mandate Under New CMO Leadership
An analysis of the executive conversation and our research, surfacing the priorities and opportunity lanes agencies can leverage to win new business. At A Glance Interviewee: Jessica “Jess” Alpert, Chief Marketing Officer Company: EPM (Equity Prime Mortgage) Estimated Revenue: $39.8 Million Location: Atlanta, Georgia Website: www.epmwholesale.com Industry: Wholesale B2B mortgage lending and financial services Company Notes: Mid-sized wholesale lender serving independent mortgage brokers nationwide. Best-Fit Agencies: B2B fintech specialists; mortgage and financial services experts; performance and lifecycle shops; content and brand strategy firms; event and community marketing partners. Source: CMO Journeys Interview The Big Picture EPM is navigating a tougher mortgage market while doubling down on the wholesale broker channel. Jess is refreshing the story so brokers clearly see EPM’s value and growth focus. She is focused on pairing empowerment messaging with sharper, more consistent positioning across channels. At the same time, she wants a more data-informed demand engine that feels human, not purely transactional. This moment matters because EPM is reshaping its brand while rivals battle hard for broker loyalty. Top Stated Priorities Re-messaging EPM so brokers clearly understand who the company serves and why it is different. This matters now because wholesale competition is intense, and EPM must stand out beyond rates or turn times. Elevating broker empowerment with better content, tools, and education that help partners win more deals. This is critical because EPM grows only when brokers feel supported and can explain its value clearly. Modernizing digital demand generation and lifecycle programs across email, social, and web. She wants digital to carry more of the load so teams are not restarting from scratch. Building a more data-informed marketing engine that connects campaign performance, broker behavior, and business results. This matters because leadership expects clear proof that marketing spend is driving volume and profitable relationships. Protecting and evolving EPM’s TAG conference and thought leadership platform as a community growth lever. It is a key asset for reinforcing the empowerment story and deepening loyalty with top brokers and partners. Under-the-Surface Signals Cleaning up the marketing tech and data foundation so campaigns are easier to execute, measure, and scale. This is implied because she frequently links digital growth, automation, and reporting to sustainable performance. Refreshing EPM’s creative so the brand feels modern while still warm, human, and mission-driven. This is implied because she returns often to storytelling, authenticity, and making complex products feel simple and approachable. Clarifying when to keep work in-house versus bringing in specialist agency partners. This is implied because she notes bandwidth limits and a need for specialist digital and broker programs. Your Next Big Wins Brand and narrative refresh for the wholesale broker audience that sharpens EPM’s positioning and story. This is a fit for brand and messaging agencies that understand financial services and B2B2C dynamics. Broker enablement programs that package EPM’s story into plug-and-play campaigns, playbooks, and borrower-ready content. Content and lifecycle marketing partners can help translate the empowerment theme into daily sales tools. Digital demand generation sprints that test targeted campaigns for brokers and their local markets. Performance and lifecycle agencies with strong CRM and marketing automation chops can help prove what moves funded loans. Marketing analytics and reporting support that ties campaigns to broker engagement and pipeline health. Data and martech consultancies can help define the right dashboards and decision rhythms for leadership. Event and community extensions around TAG that turn the conference into a year-round engagement platform. Experiential and community-focused agencies can help design programs that keep brokers connected between major events. How I’d Break In I would lead outreach around helping EPM turn its empowerment story into broker-focused growth programs. The theme would center on “making brokers the hero” through better content, journeys, and local campaigns. I would bring proof from similar wholesale, fintech, or financial clients where narrative and lifecycle work moved revenue. My first step would be a fast discovery and pilot with one broker segment and one clear metric.
Fusion Foods merges with Organic Valley
Fusion Foods merges with Organic Valley → integration often sparks need for unified campaigns.
BrightHealth raises $50M Series C
BrightHealth raises $50M Series C → likely market expansion, potential brand + demand gen support.
“We’re prioritizing sustainability initiatives in every campaign.”
Banza’s CMO told AdAge that all future campaigns must showcase sustainability credentials. This signals new opportunities for agencies with ESG storytelling. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vestibulum mi vitae turpis congue iaculis. Suspendisse ullamcorper pretium nisl, vel facilisis nulla gravida at. Quisque in lacinia neque. Nunc convallis urna vitae purus mollis, eu volutpat augue cursus. Aliquam enim tortor, imperdiet ac risus ac, tempor feugiat magna. Pellentesque sagittis ante eu dictum commodo. Fusce fringilla vulputate ullamcorper. Nulla sit amet leo lobortis mi mattis egestas. Phasellus aliquet ipsum varius varius eleifend. Proin condimentum ut sem nec semper. Phasellus elementum enim id turpis lobortis, id facilisis urna ultrices. Donec at ultrices turpis, at lobortis diam. Pellentesque venenatis a urna ut convallis. Vivamus tincidunt accumsan ex id aliquet. Vestibulum pulvinar scelerisque dui non tempus. Morbi consectetur nunc vitae elit laoreet accumsan. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Quisque molestie dui id placerat ultrices. Vestibulum lacinia ex et purus varius rutrum. Donec tortor purus, sollicitudin et ullamcorper quis, vestibulum quis est. In viverra at libero in fringilla. Phasellus pretium ipsum id libero sagittis, vitae lobortis enim elementum. Maecenas dui lacus, mollis eget justo sed, laoreet rutrum mauris. Mauris ornare erat mi, vitae commodo lectus rhoncus sed. Quisque mattis placerat ex eu bibendum. Nulla malesuada purus nec odio consequat posuere. Etiam nec nulla et augue tincidunt consequat quis dapibus erat. Nullam ullamcorper, metus sed ornare efficitur, felis metus rhoncus augue, nec euismod lacus erat in velit. Duis condimentum nibh vitae risus tincidunt, nec cursus velit eleifend. Sed id varius nisi, vel pulvinar lectus.
Test RFP – City of Denver Tourism Digital Marketing
The Denver Tourism Board has released an RFP seeking a full-service marketing partner to increase offseason travel. The selected agency will lead creative development, media strategy, and social activation to attract new visitors to the region. Campaign Objectives The campaign aims to reposition Denver as a year-round destination by highlighting local experiences beyond skiing and winter attractions. “We’re looking for fresh creative that brings our city’s personality to life — not just its altitude,” said the board’s marketing director.
Strategic Advertising and Media Partner
LuminaTech Solutions is seeking proposals from qualified advertising agencies to design, develop, and manage a comprehensive advertising campaign to enhance brand recognition, increase customer engagement, and drive sales growth.
