The most useful questions to ask your marketing agency go beyond the creative work. They test what each fee buys, who does the work, how scope is managed and whether performance matches the promise. For Marketing Procurement, asking them consistently and answering them with data is what curiosity looks like in practice, and it is how teams move from cost controller to strategic enabler.
Marketing Procurement is in the middle of a transformation. It is no longer confined to tactical cost cutting. It works more closely with Marketing than ever and sits at the center of efficiency, innovation and value across the marketing ecosystem. Meanwhile, martech is evolving with AI, budgets are not keeping pace and markets keep shifting. In that environment, curiosity and continuous learning may be the two most valuable qualities a practitioner can bring.
Curiosity only pays off when it is pointed at the right questions. These are the questions to ask your marketing agency that experienced practitioners come back to, grouped by where they tend to uncover value.
Questions to ask your marketing agency about fees
Historical pricing structures often go unchallenged for years. Curiosity looks beneath agency proposals and spend reports to understand what each fee is really buying.
- When was this fee level last tested against the market?
- The RightSpend and ISBA Future of Agency Remuneration survey found innovation increasingly commands a premium in agency fees. Where we pay that premium, is it producing a measurable return?
- Does our sector pay more than others? Luxury brands, for example, often pay higher fees. Are we receiving specialist expertise or resource that justifies the difference?
- How do our rates compare by role, level and market?
- Which costs have risen year on year without any change in scope?
Challenging these norms isn’t about conflict. It is about understanding the value exchange, then looking at fee structures and resource allocation with a clearer lens.
Questions to ask about the agency team on your account
Data lets Marketing Procurement look past the deliverables and into how the work is resourced. These questions show whether the team and the budget are built for the outcomes you expect.
- Does the team doing the work match the staffing plan in the contract?
- Does the departmental mix fit the work we actually brief?
- How do actual resource usage rates compare with plan?
- Where does AI support delivery, and how is that reflected in fees?
Questions about deliverables and scope
Curiosity extends to the output itself. Small gaps in definition become large gaps in cost.
- Are deliverables clearly defined, including what counts as a master and what counts as an adaptation?
- Is quality meeting expectations, and who decides?
- Is scope creep being managed, and who approves changes?
- How many rounds of amends are typical, and what drives them?
Questions about performance
Performance management, internal and external, is not a box-ticking exercise. It asks Marketing Procurement to build measurement frameworks and run regular, structured agency evaluations.
- Are agencies evaluated against criteria agreed before the contract started?
- How does each agency perform against expectations, and against benchmark?
- Do Marketing and Procurement score the same things, or different ones?
- When performance dips, does the evaluation lead to action?
Questions to ask of your own team
The most useful curiosity is turned inward too.
- Where are we relying on anecdote rather than data?
- What do we need to learn about data analytics and AI this year?
- Are we sharing insight with Marketing and our agencies in a way that builds trust?
- Which conversation would change if we brought global benchmarks to it?
Why the answers need data
Curiosity on its own isn’t enough. Data is the foundation for every question about value, cost and performance, and continuous learning in analytics is how teams keep up.
When Marketing Procurement moves beyond anecdote with trusted data and benchmarking tools like RightSpend, the answers become specific. You can compare agency costs, resource allocation and performance metrics against global data. That gives Procurement and Marketing an objective footing for negotiation, and helps both the brand and the agency justify fees against tangible value. The skills this demands go well beyond process.
Turning curiosity into a habit
The teams that get most from curiosity build it into their routine. Some pick one agency relationship each quarter for a deep dive. Some keep a running log of open questions and review it with Marketing each month. Many invest in peer exchange through industry events, because the best questions often come from other brands’ experience.
The payoff is influence. Insight on agency performance, cost structures and global benchmarks builds trust and breaks down silos. It positions Marketing Procurement to advise on market dynamics, technology shifts and the real value drivers in agency relationships. Curiosity starts the conversation, and data turns it into progress.
