Partner Channel

A senior brand strategy partner agencies bring in behind the curtain.

Net-30 terms. Three-month minimum. Named counterpart.

The Channel

Built for agencies that need a senior brand layer without hiring one.

Agencies bring us in when the brief calls for a level of brand strategy or creative direction the in-house team isn't sized to deliver. We show up as a senior layer behind the agency's brand. The badge on the deck stays the agency's.

Most engagements run as a fractional creative department or a fractional brand strategy lead, embedded inside the agency's team for the duration of the client engagement. Some run as one-off positioning sprints when a specific deliverable is on the line.

The Structure

The terms most agency partners actually need.

Net-30 payment terms. Three-month minimum. Named senior counterpart who shows up to the work, not a rotating bench. The structure is designed to slot into the agency's operating cadence, not interrupt it.

Some partnerships include a co-branded surface. Most don't. The default is fully behind-the-curtain.

Payment
Net-30
Commitment
3-month minimum
Team
Named counterpart
Engagement Tiers

Three tiers. One commitment.

Tier 1

Fractional Creative Department

Embedded creative and design execution for agencies without senior brand capability in seat. Slots into existing client work.

Tier 2

Fractional Brand Strategy Lead

Senior strategist embedded with agency leadership on positioning, naming, and brand decisions for client engagements.

Tier 3

Fractional Chief Brand Officer

Executive-level brand leadership for agencies running larger or longer client engagements that require a senior signal.

The Fit

Where this works.

Most partner engagements run with full-service agencies, digital and product agencies, and PR firms with brand strategy adjacent to their core offer. The structure works less well with agencies whose brand position depends on owning the senior brand layer themselves.

If you're evaluating bringing us in for a specific client engagement, the path forward is a fifteen-minute call to scope the structure.

Bringing us in for a client engagement? Let's scope it.

Schedule a callJOHN LUKE · Brand strategy for challenger firms in gatekept industries