If there’s one thing I’ve learned from leading accounts in education, it’s that clients don’t just choose an agency for output. They choose a partner for perspective. In a sector shaped by shifting intakes, international uncertainty, results demand more than media spend and clever creativity. They demand empathy and the ability to translate complexity into clarity.
What clients tend to value most, whether they say it or not, is transparency. The kind that doesn’t just surface when things are going well. When a campaign is in learning mode for longer than expected, or attribution goes blurry, the most powerful thing we can offer isn’t spin. It’s honesty, paired with a plan. That’s how trust is built: not by promising perfection, but by proving progress.
The creative process isn’t magic. Strong, engaging work requires feedback, space, and sometimes the courage to say “no” to the safe option. When clients embrace collaboration, creative work gets braver. And braver work gets noticed.
Equally, education-specific knowledge matters more than most people assume. Prospective students are not all the same ; Indian postgrads don’t behave like Brazilian language learners, and adult learners don’t convert like undergrads. Understanding search behavior, cultural cues, seasonal cycles, and post-application drop-off can mean the difference between modest performance and meaningful growth.
The agency-client relationship is about people. When we’re genuinely curious about the pressures admissions teams feel, the KPIs marketing directors are measured against, and the friction students experience, we can solve better and faster. Because partnership isn’t just delivering what’s asked. It’s surfacing the things nobody asked for yet.
Education moves quickly. Expectations move quickly. But partnerships slow the chaos long enough to make decisions that matter.
So here’s my final thought; what could we achieve if our default mindset shifted from “supplier” to “strategic partner"? Because the best results tend to happen when we’re not just working for clients, but with them.
