The next growth frontier: Why creative agencies must look beyond client briefs

One word that consistently resonates across creative media agencies is ‘Brief. This is the basis of working relationship between clients and agencies.

For years, some Nigerian creative agencies have relied on clients’ briefs and executing such brief ideas for survival. This has become a routine assignment and a lineal business structure for agencies and this means that if the briefs didn’t come in, it will somehow impact on the revenue of the agencies and survival becomes difficult.

Today, the brief model is being challenged by socio economic factors and changes in the industry, occasioned by  digital transformation, technological innovation, clients’ shrinking budget, the shrinking pie and clients attempting to handle their own creatives internally.  This therefore demands agencies to rethink their model says new TBWA Concepts CEO, George Isitua-Onukwu  who took over from Kelechi Nwosu on July 1, 2026.

He said, globally, the world’s most successful creative companies have discovered that lasting wealth is built through ownership. “They create ideas, formats, characters, digital platforms, events, documentaries, films, podcasts, music catalogues and educational content that continue to generate revenue long after the initial investment has been made”.

But in Nigeria, however, many agencies still operate as service providers rather than creators of valuable assets as every completed media campaign often becomes a closed chapter.

Therefore, thinking beyond client briefs is the bold shift creative agencies can no longer ignore.

George said the industry must seek to expand the frontiers of  what marketing communication is in different ways.

According to him, owning intellectual property  gives agencies greater bargaining power. “Instead of depending solely on client budgets, agencies can become creators of valuable assets that attract investors, media partners and global collaborators. Intellectual property transforms creative talent into long-term business value”.

For TBWA, it is already diversifying beyond traditional campaign work. George is positioned to  accelerate this shift with greater intensity and structure.

The vision is to transform into a disciplined, future-thinking creative company that builds owned intellectual property, technology-enabled solutions, and scalable products to solve marketing performance problems for itself and its clients.

George, who previously served as Executive Business Director and COO, said the agency must move “beyond the brief” to remain relevant in a market disrupted by technology, shrinking budgets, and competition from MarTech and AdTech platforms.

“Clients now want to work faster and at lower cost. Speed and craft are being commoditised. Clients ask: why pay for a studio when ChatGPT can write the script, and AI can produce music and voiceover for under N50,000?” he said.

His response is in a new business model centred on ‘brand economics’. “What if creativity were treated as an economic asset, not a service? Companies that own things outperform companies that sell services. Creativity without ownership is philanthropy,” George said.

The agency is already building that architecture. It has launched an SME capacity platform, Oririndu, a platform celebrating Nigerian food, and EkoCypher for Nigerian rap culture. In film, it produced Detour and will release Cursed Desire in cinemas later in the year..

“Africa is a creative powerhouse. Nollywood is third globally, with over a billion streams monthly. Yet the infrastructure to monetise it often lies elsewhere. The gap between making and owning is not talent; it is architecture,” he said. “We are building platforms to monetise our ideas so clients can engage culture, not just audiences.”

The strategy involves backward integration into tech, music, and film, joint IP ownership with clients, and new internal roles in product management, creative technology, and digital transformation.

“Challenging the status quo is in TBWA’s DNA. We are in conversations with partners on platforms and IP. Some clients are now interested in platforms and IP, not just retainers,” George said.

He cited global formats like Big Brother and Love Island as examples. “Those are IPs. Why should agencies not own such platforms? We must stop focusing only on execution and start compounding value.,” he said.

It has become imperative that creative agencies must reinvent their business model in the present circumstance.