The Client Checklist: Why “Dating” in Marketing Is So Hard
How to Find the Perfect Brand–Agency Partner
If you’ve ever felt like finding the right agency partner is harder than it should be…You’re not imagining it.
The agency selection process is exhausting, high-stakes, and emotionally draining for both brands and agencies. Brands want a partner they can rely on, not a vendor.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a dating app for brands and agencies or a magic marketing cupid…but there is Setup, and we are certified marketing matchmakers. Over the last twelve years, we’ve made more than 1300 connections between brands and agencies. And in the last six years, we’ve surveyed thousands of brands and agencies about their relationships. Each year, the data tells the story that brands want a partner they can rely on, but finding that partner often is difficult, expensive, and time consuming.
The 2025 Marketing Relationship Survey analysis stated that 96% of clients said they consider more than one agency in the agency selection process.
They also reported that the selection process is time consuming. This means clients aren’t just shopping and messing around, this means that they can’t afford to get it wrong. This is because getting internal buy-in from key decision makers is a challenge (at least according to 53% of client-side marketers).
Just like in marriage when people choose someone for life, clients are choosing someone to defend internally. That adds pressure. And pressure changes behavior.
So What are Clients Looking For?
Most people assume agency selection comes down to experience, portfolio, price, awards, and “big name” credibility. But the 2025 survey tells a different story.
Here’s what clients actually care about.
1. Chemistry
Clients ranked chemistry as a major selection factor: 87%. Chemistry is how the relationship will survive through hard work and conversations.
Chemistry impacts:
how quickly you make decisions
how feedback gets delivered
how trust holds under stress
how scope changes get handled
2. Specialized capabilities
Clients also ranked specialized capabilities at 87%.
Brands are leaning more toward specialists going into 2026. This means that agencies who have proof on how they’re the best at what they do will win, not someone who says they can do anything.
3. Professionalism
Clients ranked professionalism at 87%.
Professionalism looks like:
clarity
responsiveness
ownership
honest expectation setting
consistency
It’s what makes a partnership feel safe.
4. An agency that challenges the brand
One of the highest-rated factors in selection was:
“Agency challenges me” at 94%. We also see this in our Agency Assessment where we interview our agency partner’s clients. Clients want someone they can bounce ideas off and challenge them to make the right decision. Being a strategic, innovative powerhouse is desired.
Brands want a partner who will elevate the thinking, strengthen the work, and bring perspective they can’t generate alone.
5. Operational Excellence
Clients also weigh structural fit, including size and global/national/local needs. Even the best agency in the world is still wrong if they can’t operate inside your reality.
Here’s the twist: agencies are optimizing for the wrong signals
One of the biggest insights in the survey is that agencies and brands aren’t aligned on what matters most.
Agencies think clients care most about things like:
how the agency markets itself
cost
proximity
client experience
But brands are telling us they care deeply about:
chemistry
specialized capabilities
being challenged
professionalism
And the most shocking part is that 50% of agencies think chemistry is not important to clients. That disconnect explains why so many relationships start with friction.
So why is dating in business so hard?
Because you’re not just choosing a partner. You’re choosing a communication style, an operating rhythm, a level of proactivity, a problem-solving mindset, and a team you trust under pressure.
And if you get it wrong? The breakup is expensive in time, energy, money, momentum, and trust.
The best relationships are built on clarity + execution
At the end of the day, the survey shows that the strongest agency-client relationships are built through operational excellence + mutual clarity.
That means:
clear expectations
clear communication
strong delivery systems
honest feedback loops
proactive value
Need help finding the right partner (or becoming one)?
Setup exists to help brands and agencies build partnerships that create growth, trust, and long-term momentum without the stress and guesswork.
If you’re ready to stop dating randomly and start partnering intentionally, we’re here.
For Brands
For Agencies
At Setup, we sit in the middle of these relationships every day. We see what happens when a client sets an agency partnership up to win and what happens when they accidentally set it up to fail. So if you want better work, better chemistry, and better results, here are the most common “client behaviors” that signal trouble, plus what to do instead.