Why Agencies Need an Editorial Mindset

Agencies are brilliant at telling other people’s stories. It’s time to get as good at telling your own.

Introduction

Budgets are tighter, pitches are harder, and clients want proof of value before they commit. Most agencies respond the same way: another case study, another credentials deck, another round of self-congratulatory content. Many claim to “respond to culture,” but reacting isn’t the same as having a system.

An editorial mindset is different: it constantly scans, filters, and anticipates, bringing the outside world in and connecting it to a clear point of view. Crucially, it starts with the audience, not the agency – understanding what people care about and when they need to hear it. That shift, from brand-first to audience-first, is where most agency marketing falls short, and where editorial thinking makes the difference.

Seminar Overview

The Storytelling Gap

• Why agency marketing is often reactive and self-referential
• Why agency responses to culture need a structured system
• Editorial discipline isn’t about producing more content

What Is Editorial Thinking

• The mindset shift: audience-first versus agency-first
• How editors approach relevance, timing, and point of view
• The difference between content and editorial, and why it matters for how agencies tell their own story

The Editorial Toolkit

• The commissioning brief: articulating why a story matters before writing begins
• Pillars, formats, calendars, and governance
• Frameworks that work year-round, beyond awards, pitches, new hires, or campaigns

Editorial in Practice: A Live Exercise

• Assess current agency output against editorial criteria
• Practical discussion on applying an editorial approach

What This Unlocks

• A genuine point of view for your agency
• Control over publishing and distribution, rather than relying on trade press
• Turning existing teams into an editorial system clients can see
• Actionable next steps to implement immediately

Who Should Attend?

Agency marketers, Chief Growth Officers, and senior leaders responsible for new business and growth. This session is especially useful for anyone whose agency has a strong point of view but struggles to communicate it consistently and in a way that drives real commercial impact.

About the Presenter

Vino Vethavanam began her career in journalism, learning how to ask the right questions and tell stories people actually want to read. That foundation has shaped everything she has done since: leading editorial for brands including Sony, Sky, and Tesco, shaping global communications for Spotify, Polestar, and Unilever, and building Iris’s editorial capability from the ground up as Editor-in-Chief, turning the publishing process into a defined, sellable service.

Today, through her consultancy, she works with agencies and brands on the narratives and editorial systems that drive real commercial relevance.

Running This Session Online

We will run one session only, from 9.15am to 11.15am on Wednesday 15 April 2026 via Zoom. To participate, please email name, job title, agency, and email address to events@aargroup.co.uk. We cannot process bookings without these details.

NB: AAR seminars are exclusive to AAR subscribing agencies. A maximum of five places per agency is permitted for remote sessions.

Bookings open on 19 March 2026.