Before the Shortlist

Before you start another agency search, make sure you are solving the right problem.

Business or marketing change can create a gap in capability, capacity, ownership, expertise, or partner structure. Start by clarifying what changed, what marketing must deliver now, and what support is actually needed.

Talk Through Your Agency Need Take the 2-Minute Diagnostic
Why Start Here

Business change does not always require an agency change.

A new strategy, leadership transition, launch, acquisition, budget shift, team restructure, or market challenge can expose a marketing gap. That gap may sit in priorities, ownership, capability, capacity, process, or partner structure.

Starting with the shortlist can lock the team into a solution before the problem is fully defined. A better first step is to understand what changed, what should stay with the internal team and existing agency partners, and where additional support could add the most value.

The point

The right next step may be clearer roles, specialized support, a different partner structure, a broader search, or simply confidence that the current approach still works.

Interactive Diagnostic

Five questions to clarify what support you actually need.

Work through what changed, what marketing needs to deliver now, and where a meaningful gap may exist. Your answers will point to a useful next step based on the need, the resources already in place, and the gap that may remain.

About 2 minutes No email required Immediate result
Before the Shortlist Diagnostic Guided decision tool
Start Here

Start with what changed.

Choose the answer that best reflects where things stand today. Your responses will point to a useful next step based on the need, the resources already in place, and the gap that may remain.

Your result appears immediately. No contact information required.
What the First Conversation Covers

A focused working conversation. Not a sales pitch.

We’ll clarify what changed, what marketing needs to deliver now, and where a meaningful gap, if any, still exists.

01

What changed?

Define the business or marketing change creating the need.

02

What must marketing deliver now?

Clarify the outcomes or capabilities that have become more important.

03

What should stay in place?

Clarify what the internal team and existing agency partners should continue to own.

04

What is the right next move?

Clarify roles, add specialized support, reconfigure the roster, or consider a broader search.

You leave with a clearer path forward.
How Setup Helps

Start with the need. Choose the partner path second.

Setup brings an outside perspective to the decision before anyone assumes the answer is a particular agency, agency type, roster structure, or search process.

Setup helps you

  • Step outside the immediate pressure and clarify the real need
  • Separate an ownership issue from a capability, capacity, or specialist gap
  • Define what the internal team and existing agency partners should continue to own
  • Determine whether the current roster needs clearer roles, a specialist addition, or a broader change
  • Build a qualified shortlist only when a new or different agency partner is the right next step

Setup does not assume

  • An existing agency partner needs to be replaced
  • A new full-service agency is automatically the answer
  • Every business change requires a formal review or RFP
  • The process should begin with a preset list of agencies
  • Adding or replacing agencies is more valuable than first clarifying the need
Why Setup

Built around better-fit brand and agency decisions.

Setup has spent more than a decade helping marketers clarify what they need, determine the right partner path, and get to more useful agency conversations.

12+ years connecting brands and agencies
1,400+ brand and agency connections made through Setup
Setup made finding the right agency effortless. With just one conversation, they understood my needs, vetted agencies, and streamlined the entire process.
Trisha Amin
AbbVie
Common Questions

A few things marketers usually want to know.

Does this mean we need to replace one of our existing agency partners?
No. The right next step could be clearer roles, specialized support, a different partner structure, a broader search, or simply confidence that the current approach still works. The goal is to understand the need before deciding on the solution.
What if we are not sure whether the issue is internal or external?
That is exactly the kind of question this process is designed to clarify. We can help separate internal ownership, capability, and capacity questions from gaps that may genuinely call for additional outside support.
What if we already know what kind of agency support we think we need?
That is useful context. The conversation can help pressure-test the role the partner needs to play, whether the need is best addressed by an existing agency, a specialized addition to the roster, or a broader change, and which criteria should guide the decision.
Will Setup recommend agencies during the first conversation?
Not automatically. The first conversation focuses on understanding the change, the resources already in place, and the remaining gap. If adding or changing an agency partner is an appropriate next step, we can determine the most useful path forward together.
What happens after the conversation?
The next step depends on what the conversation surfaces. It may be clearer direction, different roles for existing partners, specialized support added to the roster, a reconfigured partner model, a broader agency need, or another advisory path.
Talk It Through

Ready to talk through what you need?

Share a little context about what changed. We’ll use it to prepare for a focused 25–30 minute conversation and help clarify the right next step.

No obligation. No assumptions. Just here to help you get clearer on the right next step.