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Event

What Clients Think 2025 Preview

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When:
Thursday 13th March 2025 10am to 11am
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Where:

Delivered online via Zoom

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Cost:

Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) members* : FREE
Non IDI members: €45

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Up to the Light’s ‘What Clients Think’ report is the definitive annual snapshot of the client/design agency relationship, eagerly anticipated by agencies around the world. Now in its 11th year, the 2025 report is packed with information, evidence and insight for agencies.

Up to the Light’s founder, Jonathan Kirk, will take us through an exclusive pre-launch review of the report’s highlights and explore how agency owners and principals, designers and creatives can improve client/agency relationships, strengthen client service, collaboration, client growth and retention.

What do clients think about agencies’ new business and pitches, websites, marketing content, new business presentations, value for money and building optimum client/agency relationships?

The 11th ‘What Clients think’ report will also dip into clients’ views on AI, in-housing, return on investment, value for money and the priority areas for marketing spend.

The ‘What Clients Think’ report is totally unique in its scope and quality. All interviews (not an online survey) were paid for by individual agencies commissioning Up to the Light to provide independent client surveys. Therefore, the report is based on in-depth interviews with interested clients who are talking at length about their relationships with agencies. In this sense, the quality of the raw material upon which the report is based is unparalleled.

 

Join us online on Thursday, 13th March 2025 when Jonathan Kirk will give us an exclusive preview of the report’s highlights, providing us with invaluable insight into the world of clients to help you shape your offer for 2025.

 

Tickets will be on sale soon!

*Free for IDI members.

Content

About the trainer

Jonathan Kirk

uptothelight.co.uk

Jonathan Kirk is the founder of Up to the Light. The consultancy advises a significant proportion of the UK’s top 100 agencies across a wide range of issues concerned with business growth and improvement. As the leading provider of client surveys to the design industry, their insight into the client/agency relationship is unrivalled.

For the last 10 years Up to the Light has published the influential ‘What Clients Think’ report. This year’s report is based on 675 client interviews conducted on behalf of design agencies and is a revealing snapshot of the client/agency relationship.

As well as advising agencies, Up to the Light is also a brand consultancy that provides brand positioning and strategy for clients. So many consultants become theorists and teachers, slightly removed from reality, but Jonathan is continually involved at the sharp end presenting, pitching and delivering high-profile strategic work for brands. This is of huge benefit to his clients. He is a regular trade press contributor and conference speaker.

“We tend to advocate the power of data insights for our clients, particularly consumer insights. However, when it comes to using these techniques to inform our own industry insights we seem more like the proverbial cobblers shoes. “What Clients Think” report, provides valuable insights from across a wide breadth of direct one-to-one interviews. There’s a broad range of interviews that make up this report which adds a macro view on the challenges and opportunities our clients face.”

Trevor O’Reilly, Chief Executive, Design Partners

‘Invaluable for knowing the honest truth in what clients think about working with agencies, which means we can do something about it to become better business partners. I look forward to reading this every year as it informs me in how we need to change in delivering better communications, services and relationships with clients. The report not only gives us an idea of what clients want from agencies, it gives me a better idea of what their own priorities are for the year.’

Simon Richards, Founder/Creative Director, RichardsDee

‘The ‘What Clients Think’ report is for me the most valuable industry publication of the year. As an agency owner, I find it extremely thought-provoking as it forces me to hold the mirror up to my face and ask myself the difficult questions. What’s more Jonathan Kirk is a trusted authority with razor-sharp insights and I’ve 100% confidence in the validity of the data. It’s literally the only document I have sitting beside my keyboard all year round.’

Jamie Helly, Founder & Chairman, Dynamo

'Any tool that helps us define opportunities within the client community and weaknesses within our own is a win-win in my book. Some of Jonathan’s insights simply encourage us to ‘get over ourselves’ and focus on, as he says.. ‘ what clients really want’.'

Mary Doherty, CEO, Red Dog

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