Against a backdrop of news disproportionately full of business headlines, this month felt like the perfect opportunity to bring a client perspective to this podcast.

And who better to guide us through todays challenging landscape than John Gleason.

Having worked at Proctor and Gamble for 20 years before setting up his strategic consultancy, A Better View, John advises both clients and agencies on how to deliver better, more relevant, more valued (and valuable) solutions.

In this episode we explore the current state of design as a discipline and John shares insights from The Future of... - the conference he co-organised and co-hosted last month, bringing together design leaders to discuss whether design is declining, facing diminishing influence, or just struggling to communicate its business value.

We take a candid look at the pressures design professionals are experiencing, with John offering data-driven observations about design's role in modern organisations and practical advice for agencies and design teams to remain relevant and impactful.

John's recommended read is Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up by Jerry Colonna - listen in to find out how to win a copy.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Association Experts

Further reading:

• The Business of Design by Roger Martin

• Change by Design by Tim Brown (former IDEO CEO)

• Reimagining Design, Unlocking Strategic Innovation by Kevin Bethune

• Non-Linear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction by Kevin Bethune

Further listening:

• Strategic Counsel Creative Series Episode 1: How Agencies Need to Evolve to Remain Relevant
• 20% The Marketing Procurement Podcast: 8 Things Every Agency Says

Want to know more about client listening? Get in touch.

One of the most exciting developments I've spotted so far in 2025 has to be the launch of the Department of Creative Affairs (DCA).

So, I was delighted that DCA's founder, Amar Chohan, was able to join me for a chat here on Small Spark Theory.

In this episode, Amar shares his career journey—from aspiring lawyer to media sales—before spending 11 years at Contagious, championing creative excellence.

Now at the helm of DCA, Amar is on a mission to shine a light on independent agencies, helping them form stronger partnerships and gain the recognition they deserve. We talk about the frustrations with the traditional intermediary model and explore how DCA is taking a fresh, transparent, and content-led approach—giving independent agencies a louder voice and a fairer shot at attracting marketing spend.

Amar's recommended read is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz—listen in to find out how to win a copy.

Get in touch with Amar here if you'd like to learn more about how DCA can support your agency.

Also mentioned in the episode:

• Pay-to-Play Pitch Schemes Are Putting Agency/Client Relationships at Risk

• One Small Spark – Gunpowder’s monthly challenge email.

Can you believe we’re already in February? In this episode, we’re diving deep into one of the most crucial (yet often overlooked) aspects of agency sales and marketing—measurement.

If you’ve ever struggled with tracking the success of your marketing efforts or found yourself making gut-based decisions about new business opportunities, this episode is for you.

I’ll break down two key areas:

• Marketing Measurement: How to stay consistent by using a simple tracking tool to see what’s really working.
• New Business Pipeline Measurement: Moving beyond guesswork with a structured, percentage-based system that brings financial visibility and clarity to your pipeline.

There's some fiddly detail in this episode so I've compiled everying into a handy guide that you can download here and start implementing today. Please do get in touch to let me know how you get on.

Also mentioned in this episode:

One Small Spark - Gunpowder's monthly challenge email.

EP26: Client Development Part One with Iain Johnston