Let’s stop calling them “credentials.” That word suggests admin. A formality. Something you knock together after the work is done.
In reality, your credentials deck is the work. Often the first thing a client sees - and sometimes the only thing. It shapes perception before you’ve said a word. And if it doesn’t pulse with your agency’s culture, perspective and people, you’re not just forgettable - you’re invisible.
Since 2016, the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) Credentials Award has recognised agencies that get the fundamentals right. Relaunched in partnership with DMASA in 2020, it has become a fixture in the Assegai Awards, and 2025 marks a decade of successful collaboration. This isn’t about sizzle for sizzle’s sake; the award celebrates thinking that’s sharp, not showy - stories that reveal, not just sell.
And here’s the point: the award is judged by marketers - the people you actually need to convince. That gives it weight. It’s a benchmark for relevance, not just recognition.
“Credentials should tell the full story of your agency - not just what you’ve done, but who you are,” says IAS CEO Johanna McDowell. “Too many agencies skip the hard thinking on positioning and culture and end up with a deck that’s all noise and no narrative.”
So, how do you build credentials that reflect culture, not just competence? Culture is often confused with perks or aesthetics - the beanbags, the playlists, the dog-friendly policies. That’s not what this is about. It’s the intangible edge that makes a client say, Yes, this feels right. It should be visible in every line of your deck. Every frame of your reel. Not as a bolt-on, but as a spine.
Start with clarity. Why do you exist? What are you solving for? Then shape your story around the people who bring that to life: leadership, teams, dynamics, thinking. Drop the posturing. Replace it with insight. Less corporate jargon, more agency DNA.
Let the case studies breathe. Not just what the campaign achieved, but how the relationship worked. The late-night pivots, the creative friction, the choices that made it better. Show your process, not just your polish.
And for global agencies: don’t assume international credentials travel well. What sings in New York might fall flat in Joburg. Culture needs local roots to ring true.
“We needed our own interpretation of the story within the South African and African context,” says Jonty Fisher, SVP at Publicis Groupe Africa, on reworking Saatchi & Saatchi’s local credentials. “It took time, discussion and field-testing, but that’s how you get to the story that actually resonates.”
The IAS Credentials Award isn’t just a trophy - it’s a benchmark. As Pete Case, CEO of Ogilvy South Africa, puts it, “We don’t often see how we stack up. This award gives us that measure. We enter every year to test our relevance, get feedback from marketers and see if what we’re putting into market still lands. If we win, we know we’re truly resonating with clients.”
And that matters - because your credentials live longer than your pitch. They’re passed around, pulled apart and revisited in rooms you’re not in. If they don’t hold up without you, they never held up at all.
So cut the jargon. Lead with truth. Make culture visible, deliberate, loud.
Great creative gets you attention. Culture gets you trust.
And trust gets you shortlisted.
