A trusted resource before there is a brief.
With 90% of its creative work handled in-house, Liberty turned to DCA for help exploring a brand opportunity in the US. DCA identified five relevant agencies, arranged introductions and helped the team find a preferred creative partner.
The challenge
Liberty’s creative team is responsible for protecting and developing one of Britain’s most distinctive heritage brands. Most of that work happens in-house, but new markets and unfamiliar challenges can demand expertise beyond the team’s existing network.
When Liberty began exploring a brand activation in the US, it needed local market knowledge, cultural intelligence and access to creative specialists who understood the territory.
I wanted market knowledge for the U.S. I don’t have the cultural intelligence, and I don’t have the creative networks.
The opportunity was still taking shape. Rather than beginning with a formal brief and conventional agency search, Liberty wanted to understand the possibilities and the types of partners that could help.
The approach
DCA helped Liberty explore the US creative landscape, drawing on its knowledge of independent agencies and specialists to identify potential partners.
DCA arranged meetings with five agencies, giving Liberty the opportunity to explore different creative approaches, assess relevant expertise and understand the options available.
The process combined market intelligence with direct access to specialist talent, helping Liberty move from an early-stage idea towards a clearer view of the kind of partner it needed.
Why it matters
DCA gives Liberty access to expertise and perspectives beyond its established network, without requiring every conversation to begin with a finished brief.
- Fresh perspectives. An external view helps Liberty explore unfamiliar challenges and consider approaches beyond its existing capabilities.
- Knowledge of the market. DCA helps identify relevant specialists, understand their strengths and assess how they might fit a particular requirement.
- A more informed starting point. Early conversations help shape the opportunity and clarify what kind of external support might be valuable.
The value of an ongoing relationship
We are all time-poor. Someone has made it easy to scope out agencies and is calling the process for us — that alone is valuable, brief or no brief.
Following five agency meetings arranged by DCA, Liberty identified a preferred creative partner for its US ambitions.
The process gave the team access to relevant expertise, a better understanding of the market and the confidence to identify a partner suited to its needs, all before a conventional agency pitch process was in place.
Harpreet Chohan-Basra, Liberty
