Leaning on a clear process, transparent risk mitigation strategies and a collaborative relationship with approvers, the marketers that can figure out how to navigate this dynamic will be rewarded with more effective comms that move their brand or cause forward. My advice would be to start small; find the right pockets of opportunity within broader campaigns where authenticity can be delivered in a meaningful way for the audience and build broader team confidence through those wins.

If you’re struggling to understand why your agency/client isn’t doing [insert classic frustration here] as a starting point I’d recommend gaining a true understanding of the context and environment they’re working within. I love having clients in the agency environment to help build their context on how we work and how much human energy across disciplines is committed to their work. Likewise, working pharma client side built an incredible appreciation for the unique pressure marketers are under in those environments; layers upon layers of internal stakeholders, approval processes and a load of competing pressures. Having a little empathy goes a long way; on both sides everyone is typically just trying to do a good job and add value. As an agency, we want our clients to look great by delivering quality work and the more context, transparent communications, and humility we share with clients, the better we can do.