Episode 34: Why Agencies Are So Bad at Marketing Themselves with Kathleen Gunther

Canned the Marketing Podcast Ep. 34 –  Introduction / Hook Agencies spend their lives selling clarity, creativity and growth for clients, yet plenty are strangely average at marketing themselves. In this episode, Steph Quantrill and Ben van Rooy are joined by Kathleen Gunther, founder of Gunther Consulting and a specialist in helping agencies sharpen their positioning, stay visible and back up what they say with substance. From earned media and personal brand to content pillars, agency positioning and the rise of indie shops, this is a sharp look at why so many agencies blur into the background and what happens when they stop treating themselves like the most ignored client in the room. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:  Why agencies confuse awards and good work with real marketing effectiveness   What strong positioning actually requires to cut through in a crowded market   How earned media builds credibility when paid channels cannot   Why agency leaders are the brand whether they like it or not   What to prioritise first when you are marketing an agency with limited budget  Bonus Nuggets:  Why April Fools brand work is starting to feel tired and predictable   How reactive marketing around the KitKat heist became a masterclass in relevance  Call to action: If your agency sounds like everyone else but expects different results, this episode will challenge how clearly you show up, who you are for, and whether you are actually backing it up. Resources mentioned:  Gunther Consulting   The Icehouse  Connect with the creators, and hosts mentioned:  Kathleen Gunther – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleengunther/  Ben van Rooy – https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/  Stephanie Quantrill – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/ Explore more from Canned:  Canned the Marketing Podcast: www.cannedmarketing.com  Cue Marketing: www.cuemarketing.co.nz  Human Digital: www.humandigital.com Timestamps:  00:00 Welcome and intro   00:29 Travel, conferences and recent highlights   05:29 April Fools backlash and brand reactions   07:49 AXIS Awards and industry standards   08:41 Kathleen joins the conversation   09:22 Why agencies struggle to market themselves   14:24 Awards versus actual marketing impact   16:11 Buying people not services in B2B   18:20 The value of external perspective   21:02 What good agency positioning looks like   22:25 Knowing your customer as an agency   24:14 Earned media and why it is overlooked   28:04 Where to start with small budgets   31:51 Marketing as a long-term trust play   33:14 The role of leadership and people  www.cannedmarketing.com  Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin