Agency Archives - Brunnerworks

Finding the right agency partner isn’t easy.

The stakes are high: budgets are tight, timelines are short, and your brand’s growth depends on getting it right. Maybe you’ve outgrown your current agency or been burned by promises that didn’t deliver. Or maybe you’re just tired of feeling like a small fish in a holding-company sea. That’s where independent agencies shine.

Agency

By Delaney Held

July 24, 2025

5 Min Read

Brunner team smiling in front of green background — Brunner book swap in 2025. Building connection within our team and bonding over shared interests helps us bring better results to our clients.

We understand how overwhelming the search process can be, especially when every agency says they’re strategic and agile. But independence isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a different way of working. One that prioritizes people over politics, relationships over red tape, and long-term results over short-term wins.

Here are five reasons why working with an independent agency like Brunner could be the smartest decision you make for your brand.

1. Your brand is the priority, not shareholders.

Perhaps the most obvious difference is that independent agencies aren’t bound by holding‑company hierarchies or shareholder deadlines. That means we can move fast, pivot when campaigns or budgets shift, and still stay focused on your 1‑, 3‑, or 5‑year needs.
At Brunner, we answer to one thing only: your success. Our independence allows us to be more proactive, more flexible, and more strategic, meaning better results for you.

2. You’ll experience true partnership from day one.

At Brunner, we don’t want to be considered as just another vendor. Our clients are collaborators, and they consistently refer to us as partners and extensions of their in-house marketing teams. As an independent agency, we operate with skin in the game, aligning our success with yours. That leads to focused, dedicated relationships and original ideas born from genuine partnerships.

3. You’ll get faster, smart solutions.

We punch above our weight. Without having to navigate layers of approvals, we can embrace fresh ideas driven by performance and relevance. Digiday put it perfectly:

When independent agencies have the ability to be more agile than their competition and act in their best interests rather than worrying about their holding company’s bottom line, it’s possible to out-swim even the biggest of fish.

Digiday

We couldn’t agree more. At Brunner, that means turning ideas into impact much faster.

4. You’ll benefit from specialized strengths and an integrated approach.

At Brunner, we believe that integrated marketing only works when every part of the team is operating at an expert level. As an independent agency, we’ve established deep specialization across strategy, data science, creative, media, communications, content, and marketing technology, giving clients access to a powerhouse team that collaborates seamlessly without compromise.

This means campaigns that are backed by deep audience understanding and performance strategies that actually perform. Our full-service approach stays focused on driving results that matter.

5. You’ll witness the power of a people-first culture.

While holding-company agencies have made headlines in recent years for widespread layoffs and restructuring, especially during periods of economic uncertainty, independents like Brunner are built differently. We’re not beholden to shareholder pressure or quarterly earnings calls, which means we invest in our people for the long haul.

At Brunner, our team attrition rate is just 18%—well below the 30% industry average. That translates to continuity, sharper thinking, and stronger client relationships. We don’t churn through talent, and we don’t lose institutional knowledge every time the market shifts. Instead, our clients benefit from long-term team consistency that keeps momentum high and onboarding low.

18%: attrition rate—well below the 30% industry average.

And those benefits are shown in the outcomes. Nearly 80% of our clients have experienced multiple years of record-breaking sales and profit over the last five years—including through the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re not going to take all the credit, but our partners regularly tell us how instrumental our collaboration has been to their sustained growth. Putting people first doesn’t just mean happy teams; it means better business outcomes.

~80%: of our clients have experienced multiple years of record-breaking sales and profit over the last five years.

Ready to go beyond “just another agency”?

If you want a partnership that combines big‑idea thinking, deep specialization, and real business results, let’s talk. Because independence isn’t just a status, it’s a strategy. Get in touch to learn how Brunner helps marketing leaders like you build better outcomes today and tomorrow.

Delaney Held

Senior Lead, Content Marketing

Delaney Held is senior lead, content marketing at Brunner. Her work spans the entire content strategy process, from conducting data-rich audience research and building personas to developing thoughtful content strategies and engaging content. She has nearly a decade of experience in content strategy and production, copyediting and writing, community engagement, email marketing, and public relations. She has worked across a variety of verticals, including non-profit, construction, consumer products, finance, and insurance. Delaney holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Pittsburgh.

Visit Delaney Held on LinkedIn

Brunner Celebrates Two Visionary Leaders as They Embark on Retirement

At Brunner, we believe in the power of transformation, whether it’s helping clients navigate change or evolving as an agency ourselves. And Brunner is going through a pretty big transformation this year.

By the end of 2025, two of Brunner’s longtime leaders—Rick Gardinier, Chief Digital Officer, and Jeff Maggs, Managing Partner of our Atlanta office—will be retiring.

Rick’s and Jeff’s impact at Brunner has been nothing short of extraordinary. But change always brings a chance to lift the next generation of leaders, those ready to take the torch and run with it. With that said, Michelle O’Neill and Annette Sally are stepping in—Michelle as Senior Director of Web Solutions & Delivery, and Annette as Executive Vice President—and they’re bringing a bold vision to the table: to accelerate Brunner’s growth and elevate its impact.

While we honor two visionaries who have helped shape our journey, Brunner is charging ahead. This year alone, we expanded our capabilities with the acquisition of Rakuten Performance Solutions, enhancing the services we offer to clients. We have added 21 new employees and 40 new clients to the mix and expect exponential opportunities from the merger.

“We celebrate not just Jeff’s and Rick’s retirement, but the decades of dedication, leadership, and heart they brought to Brunner,” said Ken Johns, Partner and Chief Client Officer, Brunner. “Their contributions have left a lasting legacy that has laid a powerful foundation for Brunner’s future. We are all deeply grateful for their commitment to the agency, the people here, and for making Brunner a special place to work. They will be missed.”

Rick Gardinier: A Digital Pioneer

Rick has been with Brunner for 25 of his 35+ years in the industry, and during that time, he’s been a driving force behind our digital evolution. From the early days of the internet to today’s complex digital ecosystems, Rick has led with a rare blend of technical savvy, marketing insight, and business acumen.