Hiring a traditional ad agency can feel a lot like signing up for Love Is Blind. Here are five reasons the two experiences remind me of one another.
You Fall in Love With a Voice
On Love Is Blind, contestants fall for people they've never actually met. Agency pitches work the same way.
You spend weeks listening to smart people say smart things. Then you hire them based on chemistry, confidence, and a really beautiful Keynote deck.
The problem? You haven't seen what it's like to work together on a random Tuesday when everything's on fire.
The Reveal Can Be Surprising
The people in the pods aren't always the people you meet after the reveal. The same thing happens with agencies.
The brilliant strategist. The charismatic creative director. The person who made you laugh during the pitch.
Somehow they're replaced by a project manager named Brad you've never met.
Things Get Serious Really Fast
Most agencies want annual retainers, long contracts, and substantial media budgets.
That's the business equivalent of meeting someone, getting engaged, moving in together, and picking out throw pillows within six weeks.
Maybe let's have a coffee first.
Everyone Says They're Different
Every contestant says they're looking for something real. Every agency says they're not like other agencies.
Then somebody shows you a slide with the words "disruptive storytelling" and "full-funnel engagement ecosystem," and suddenly you're hearing the same lines you've heard a hundred times before.
Somebody Always Ends Up Crying
On Love Is Blind, it's usually during the reunion special. In advertising, it's usually during budget season.
The work took longer than expected. The scope changed. The media underperformed. The invoices arrived.
Different set. Same tears.
"The best relationships aren't built on blind faith."
They're built on shared experiences, transparency, and trust earned over time.
Which is why we believe agency relationships should start small. Do a project. Solve a problem. See if there's chemistry.
Then decide whether this thing has a future.
But then again, I love Love Is Blind, so who am I to judge?
If you want to talk agencies, or rank the most chaotic couples in reality TV history, let's do it. At Two & Co., we'd rather earn the relationship than assume it.