When you choose to invest in a strategic marketing and communications partner, you look for creativity. Tactical expertise. An understanding of your industry. And especially, a partner you can trust with your business and its goals. That trust can only be built and maintained through transparency.

Too often, agencies operate like black boxes: closed off, with little visibility into how things get done. You receive the creative (hopefully on time and on budget), but you’re unsure what went into the strategy behind it, how long it took, or what needs to come next. That’s a problem.

The best partnerships are not transactional, they are collaborative.

 

Collaboration only works when both sides prioritize clarity. At Frankel, we believe transparency is more than a value, it’s a business imperative. Because when you’re in sync, your work gets more defined, timelines get sharper, and results get better. Here’s why you should expect transparency from your agency partner, and the methods Frankel uses to deliver it.

Why Transparency Matters Between You and Your Agency

1. It builds trust.

A partnership without trust, what’s it good for? You invest time and money into the agency you work with, so it’s only fair that they stand up to your expectations. When an agency shows upfront how they work internally, how decisions are made, and what drives timelines or budgets, you can feel more confident in forming a partnership. Transparency (and making good on promises) will remove guesswork and tension later on.

2. It creates accountability.

Do you know who was responsible for writing and designing that print ad? Or, who was responsible for ensuring the project’s first revision was completed by the marked deadline? An agency that prioritizes visibility will be forthright about assigned teams and workflow processes. Visibility ensures accountability and met expectations. That way, you know what projects are on track, what may be shifting and why, and who is responsible for each key piece.

3. It improves outcomes.

You know your organization better than anyone, and while an agency should bring a deep experience in strategic communications to the table, the real magic happens when your forces combine. Outcomes are better when you don’t work in a silo. Transparent collaboration keeps everyone informed, aligned, and focused on what matters most. That can look like fewer revisions, more focused messaging, and results you can actually measure.

How Frankel Brings Transparency to Every Engagement

We lead, own, and deliver.

We don’t simply hand work off, we lead it. At Frankel, our team takes ownership of initiatives from beginning to end, ensuring your work connects to a larger strategy. Owning the outcome means we don’t stop at delivering a campaign, for example. We measure its performance, look at engagement, and share those outcomes with you in a comprehensive presentation. We hold ourselves accountable to outcomes, not just outputs.

We’re a partnership-first agency.

Think of us as an extension of your in-house team. Our team makes an effort to integrate with yours and align with internal stakeholders as well as adapt to your pace, platforms, and priorities. It’s how we build trust, drive results, and create lasting partnerships.

Communication is built into our process.

We don’t believe in leaving clients in the dark. You’ll always know where a project stands because we built communication into our infrastructure. Our principles are simple but powerful:

• Proactive project management – We don’t wait to hear from you. You hear from us. Our project managers are actively checking in at all levels of the project. They keep a clear view of timelines, budgets, and deliverables and share that visibility with you through regular status calls and weekly updates.
• Transparency, timeliness, and tools – Tools are only as helpful as the people using them. We use project management platforms like Kantata to remain transparent and timely. We use these tools to document deadlines, communicate them clearly, and share progress early and often.
• Senior-level consistency – At Frankel, the people who help you shape your marketing strategy will continue to help you execute it. You’ll always have experienced team members who know your business and stay engaged throughout.
• Flexibility – We understand your world shifts, and we adjust without missing a beat. Our flexibility is baked into our consultative nature. For one, our project management team has experience in adapting to new priorities, new leadership, and changing timelines.  And because we don’t work from rigid packages or fixed paths, we’re able to pivot when it makes sense—all in the name of getting to the strongest, most impactful outcome—even if that means ending up somewhere different than where we started.

Clear scopes. Realistic timelines.

From day one, we define what’s included, how long it will take, and how success will be measured. We don’t bury the details in fine print. You’ll see a clear roadmap with key milestones, responsibilities, deliverables, and check-ins at every phase.

Collaborative alignment from kickoff to completion.

Our kickoff process sets the foundation for alignment and momentum. We spend time understanding your business, your audience, and your internal expectations. From there, we establish a cadence that reflects your needs – weekly status updates, milestone presentations, and quick pivots when things shift. When we say “collaboration,” we mean consistent, meaningful interaction from day one to day done.

No surprises, ever.

When scopes change, priorities shift, or new needs emerge, we don’t plow ahead. We pause, discuss, and recalibrate together. That can look like walking through the reasoning, providing clear options, and waiting to unpause until informed decisions have been made. It’s how we protect your investment and the integrity of the work.

Know the Impact Your Marketing Makes

Transparency isn’t about overcommunication or hand-holding. It’s about mutual respect. You should always know how your agency works, where your investment is going, and what kind of impact your marketing is making.

At Frankel, we lead with clarity, take full ownership of our work, and operate as if your goals are our own, because they are. When you’re ready for a marketing team that works in lockstep with your team and takes full ownership of their role in your success, send us a quick message.