For agencies, strategy is what separates good ideas from real results.

Budgets are tightening, clients are cautious, and every recommendation needs to prove its value. For small agencies, intuition still matters, but lasting success depends on insight, real data, smart research, and a plan that keeps you close to your clients’ business challenges.

This session will show you how to bring research-driven strategy into your process in a way that is practical, affordable, and scalable. You’ll learn how to uncover what audiences really think, analyze competitors, and turn insights into creative ideas that clients cannot ignore. We’ll also cover nine essential steps for building stronger, insight-led market plans that help you guide clients through uncertainty and position your agency as an indispensable partner.

If you want to stay relevant, win deeper trust, and strengthen your agency’s strategic edge in a changing market, this is a session you cannot afford to miss.

• Why strong strategy starts with insight and not just intuition.
• The kinds of research that matter most to small agencies.
• How to gather meaningful data without big budgets or timelines.
• Sources of insight: clients, customers, competitors, and culture.
• Crafting research questions that lead to clear, creative answers.
• Quick-win tools: surveys, interviews, social listening, desk research.
• How to spot patterns, not just collect facts.
• Turning research findings into clear strategy points and creative briefs.
• Making research part of your process.
• Showing clients the value of research, even when they “already know their audience”.