Today’s guest is James Greenfield, Co-Founder and CEO of Koto, the globally recognised branding agency working with companies like Netflix, Spotify and Google.

James explains how listening closely to client needs has shaped the agency’s evolution, remaining anchored in brand, but also delivering high quality campaigns and digital products. 

The conversation also explores how Koto’s buyer landscape is changing, with CEOs now far more involved in decisions traditionally owned by marketing teams. James unpacks the growing importance of consistency across fragmented customer journeys, and why brand increasingly plays a central organising role.

Alongside this, he reflects on leadership, creativity and the discipline required to move from practitioner to CEO, offering a clear and optimistic vision for how agencies evolve.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[03:04] How client-centricity drives growth

[07:02] Changes in how clients buy

[11:04] Why brand drives survival

[14:37] Internal versus external reality

[16:39] The cobbler’s children problem

[19:28] Three pillars of Koto

[21:54] Closing the execution gap

[27:12] Qualifying the right clients

[30:20] How AI supports not replaces

[38:51] Life as a CEO

[40:50] Creativity over quarterly numbers