9th December 2025
Richard Huntington on commodity, pitch culture and why agencies are not just ‘creative’
Episode 56
Richard Huntington
Former Chief Strategy Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi London
Today’s guest is Richard Huntington – former Chief Strategy Officer and Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi. He brings a rare blend of honesty, affection and sharp-edged provocation to this conversation about the agency business.
Richard describes an industry that’s been commodified – caused by the “creative” agency label that stripped out the commerciality, as well as a pitching culture that trains agencies to give away their most valuable thinking for free.
But far from being downbeat, this is a rallying cry for the brilliance inside agencies, and a clear-eyed look at why talent deserves to be paid fairly for the value it creates. From productisation and pricing, to shifting C-suite perceptions, Richard shares his vision for a healthier, more sustainable industry built on confidence, credibility and genuine differentiation.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[02:20] Advertising’s not dead yet
[07:50] Commodified by clients
[09:02] Creative as an adjective
[17:15] Reclaiming agency swagger
[19:41] Collective industry reform
[21:56] Rewriting the rules of pitching
[24:58] The remuneration shift
[28:36] Power of proprietary thinking
[34:12] Golden era of startups
Previous episodes
Thriving in the AI industrial revolution
Episode 68
Justin Billingsley
Co-Founder, Simbioniq
Growth in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone
Episode 67
Ben Rudman
Executive Director, MSQ
When a client CMO leads an agency
Episode 66
Zaid Al-Qassab
Global CEO, M+C Saatchi Group
Raising the bar for customer experience
Episode 65
Craig Elimeliah
CCO, Code and Theory
Showing up with a point of view
Episode 64
Sean McDonald
Global Chief Strategy Officer, Rethink
Redefining on-demand talent
Episode 63
Christine Olivas
Practice Director - Advertising & Brand Marketing, Toptal
How principles are good for business
Episode 62
Jared Belsky
CEO and Co-Founder, Acadia
Why Dentsu believes in agency brands
Episode 61
Beth Ann Kaminkow
CEO, Dentsu North America
A life more curious
Episode 60
Zoe Scaman
Founder, Bodacious
Inside Coke’s AI-powered Christmas campaign
Episode 59
PJ Pereira and Andrew O'Dell
Co-Founders, Pereira O’Dell and SILVERSIDE
Going deep on decision-making
Episode 58
Olivia Morley & Brian Wieser
Co-hosts, Agency Business
Making it ‘worth it’
Episode 57
Luke McKelvey
CEO, MIRIMAR
Why female ownership matters
Episode 55
Christy Hiler
CEO, Cornett
Excellence as usual
Episode 54
Tyler Turnbull
Global CEO, FCB
What’s in a name?
Episode 53
Zihla Salinas
CEO, Yes&
Culture, entertainment and commerce
Episode 52
Jarrod Moses
Global CEO, UEG
Unpacking the ‘Power of One’
Episode 51
Loren Grossman
Global CSO, Publicis Groupe
Comedy’s greatest ad agency
Episode 50
Haley Hunter
Co-founder, Party Land
Building modern legends
Episode 49
Jaime Robinson & Lisa Clunie
Co-founders, JOAN
The AI-enabled creative renaissance
Episode 48
Andrew Swinand
CEO, Inspired Thinking Group (ITG)
A balanced take on indies vs HoldCo.s
Episode 47
John Harris
President & CEO, Worldwide Partners Inc.
Bringing contagious positivity
Episode 46
Karen Martin
CEO, BBH London & Dublin
Evolving the business of creativity
Episode 45
Guy Wieynk
Global CEO, AnalogFolk Group
Scaling culture at pace
Episode 44
Dimi Albers
CEO, Dept
Subscribe to
Believe in Better
Our regular newsletter helps your agency stand out and grow faster. Packed with new thought pieces and our latest podcast episodes.
"*" indicates required fields
Our regular newsletter helps your agency stand out and grow faster. Packed with new thought pieces and our latest podcast episodes.
