25th March 2025

Making a promise to the market

Conrad Persons on balancing jeopardy, intuition and evidence

Episode 24

Conrad Persons

President, Grey London

From President to Presidency, Conrad shares his journey – from chasing Barack Obama around Virginia, to taking the reins at Grey London. 

He describes the importance of balancing intuition with evidence – an essential skill when balancing change with heritage at Grey over the last 12 months. 

We dive into value propositions and what makes them succeed, particularly how they become insular and indulgent if they lack jeopardy or anything meaningful for clients to buy into. 

Conrad also explores the stagnation of the agency business model, strongly advocating for a change in how agencies show-up for clients; to better assert value by redefining what it is we mean when we talk about creativity.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[02:09] Chasing Barack Obama around rural Virginia

[07:06] How to make make better decisions

[11:50] Why vision really matters

[15:17] Acting on hunches

[20:32] What ‘Famously Effective’ really means for Grey

[25:14] Making agency propositions feel real

[27:39] The problem with agency pricing

[29:13] AI and demonstrating value

[33:06] The impact of creativity on business

Previous episodes

Every moment is a chance

Episode 25

Nils Leonard

Co-Founder, Uncommon Creative Studio

Nurturing creative cultures

Episode 23

Toby Southgate

Global CEO, We Are Social

Breaking the burnout cycle

Episode 22

Bianca Best

Global Growth Officer, Performics

How audacious ideas get made

Episode 21

Trevor Guthrie

Co-founder, Giant Spoon

The quest for agency simplification

Episode 20

Ruud Wanck

CEO, Candid

From phoney to fearless: building an agency ‘for the culture’

Episode 19

Omid Farhang

Founder & CEO, Majority

Honest leadership in times of change

Episode 18

Josh Krichefski

CEO, GroupM EMEA

The risks of malicious obedience

Episode 17

Greg Hahn

Co-founder, Mischief

Why creativity relies on diversity

Episode 16

Jo Wallace

Global ECD, Jellyfish

The business case for differentiation

Episode 15

Anthony Freedman

CEO, Common Interest

When change becomes transformation

Episode 14

Neil Perkin

Founder, Only Dead Fish

How to maintain entrepreneurialism at scale

Episode 13

Tim Ringel

CEO, Meet The People

How AI is changing the agency business model

Episode 12

Chris Johnson

CEO, TomorrowToday

The secrets of successful client relationships

Episode 11

Alex Lubar

Global CEO, DDB

The recipe for agency swagger

Episode 10

Natalie Graeme

Founder, Uncommon Creative Studio

Building careers in a changing world

Episode 9

Sue Unerman

Chief Transformation Officer, EssenceMediacomX

The profound impact of being yourself

Episode 8

Harjot Singh

Global Chief Strategy Officer, McCann & McCann Worldgroup

How to create healthy growth

Episode 7

Katie Lee

Chief Operating Officer, Wavemaker

A global perspective on creativity and innovation

Episode 6

Ruth Mortimer

Global President, Advertising Week

Fighting for diversity is not enough

Episode 5

Rob Campbell

Chief Strategy Officer, Colenso BBDO

Meeting the needs of modern clients

Episode 4

David Meikle

Founder, The HTBAG Company

A new game plan for agencies

Episode 3

Michael Farmer

Chairman and CEO, Michael Farmer and Co.

How agency CEOs can compete with talent's need for freedom

Episode 2

Faris Yakob

Co-Founder, Genius Steals

Where does innovation really come from?

Episode 1

Rory Sutherland

Vice Chairman, Ogilvy UK

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