The Art of Account Management: Solving Business Challenges in Creative Ways with Laura Duplain

Laura’s career started at a boutique interactive agency in the mid ‘90s – it was thrilling as it was the wild West, yet looking back it was also very simple compared to how we define interactive experiences and what’s possible on the internet today.  

Modem Media, a global digital agency, was Laura’s next step where she had the chance to do some really interesting things – like partnering with John Hancock to sell life insurance DTC, working with General Motors to build online loyalty platforms for their brands around the world, and building online experiences for CPG brands to capture share of wallet. 

In 2005 a family move brought Laura to STL where she joined Rodgers Townsend, the best agency in the market in terms of talent and a unique Founders’ culture. At this point in time Laura was working with exciting brands including AT&T, House of Rohl, Luxco (spirit brands), Spectrum Brands, State Farm, and Valvoline Instant Oil Change.  

Laura is most energised when she is working with clients and creative people to solve business challenges. It’s what’s kept Laura on the agency side for over 25 years. The creative process is fantastically messy, and when you get to the other side of it and launch a campaign there’s so much to be proud of and more to work for as the teams pull together to drive results. While business results are the primary metric, the relationships and friendships built with colleagues and clients are equally rewarding.  

Laura said it’s an honour to take on the role of managing director. It will allow her to continue to work closely with clients, and also coach and nurture talent. The biggest shift in responsibility will be to focus on identifying growth for the agency in ways that benefit the brand’s clients and people.

LBB> To get things started, how do you foresee your experience in account management serving you well in your new role as managing director?

Laura> What excites me every day is working with clients to solve business challenges in creative ways and doing it with the talented people at Rodgers Townsend. I don’t want this aspect of my job to change. As my responsibility expands, I do believe I bring a broad perspective in what motivates each department in the agency. This will help me manage and support each group effectively. Equally, the skills needed for strong account management – passion for great creative, resilience and leadership – will serve me well in this new role.

LBB> How did you first get involved in account management and what appealed to you about it?

Laura> In 1996, I took on three of the biggest life stressors all at once – I got married, moved 598 miles to a new city and, as a result, left my first career job and was out of work. I began networking and within two months met the owner of a boutique “interactive agency” willing to take me under his wing and teach me everything he knew.

While I wore a lot of hats in that small agency, the ability to tackle other people’s (clients) challenges with creative problem solving was the hook for me. And I love(d) the variety, working across so many industries; it keeps me curious and always learning. 

LBB> What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in account management?

Laura> First and foremost, find a group of talented people you enjoy working with. We spend a lot of time working, and life’s way more fun if you like the people you’re in the trenches with.

I’ll add two more things... raise your hand to get involved everywhere you can – learn as much as you can as early in your career as you can. It opens possibilities and teaches you what you don’t want to do as much as what you love. Figure out how to get things done; this makes you a valuable member of the team regardless of tenure.

LBB> Thinking back to some of your most challenging experiences you’ve had in your career, what do you think tends to lie at the heart of the more tense or difficult client-agency relationships?

Laura> When clients don’t know what they want and I haven’t been able to help them articulate it, it creates unnecessary spin. This leads to high frustration on both sides and inefficiency for the agency team. Fortunately, I can count on one hand the number of clients I’ve faced this with. But when it happens, the best thing to do is pause and do the hard work with a small team (client and agency) to clearly define the business challenge and align on parameters to solve it.

LBB> And what are the keys to building a productive and healthy relationship?

Laura> Like any healthy relationship, transparency and honesty are the foundation. It sets a tone for a partnership versus a vendor relationship and it’s required from the agency team, the business client and even procurement.  

A strong client-agency partnership also requires a shared vision. When everyone understands and believes in the vision the result is an impactful strategy and effective creative. A shared vision also helps us have open, healthy discussions and if needed, healthy debate, because we’re all working toward the same goal. 

LBB> What’s your view on disagreement and emotion - is there a place for it and if not, why not? If so, why - and what does productive disagreement look like?

Laura> We embrace the Four Freedoms at the agency, and one is Freedom to Be. This allows emotion to be part of our process and way of working. We embrace this as a healthy part of the process because emotions are stirred when someone is passionate about something. So bring it on, responsibly. (Don’t let your mouth get ahead of your head. ☺) 

Having said that, in the end, if the parties can’t agree on the decision, you need alignment from those not in agreement that they can (and will) get behind the idea and support it. This is one of the valuable lessons Tim Rodgers, one of our founders, taught me.

LBB> Historically, account management has been characterised as the mediator in an adversarial client and creative relationship - what do you make of that characterisation, is there any nugget of truth in that or is it wildly inaccurate? 

Laura> I’ve never felt like a mediator in my role. As an account lead, it’s our responsibility to represent the agency to the client, not the other way around. This is how the best strategies and creative ideas get approved and into the market. If I were to label the account management role, it’s better described as a diplomat because we do need to be skillful at managing people and addressing delicate situations. 

LBB> These days, agencies do so much beyond traditional campaigns and as account management you’re pulling together creative, experience, data, e-commerce, social and more - and that complexity can often be mirrored on the client stakeholder side too? What’s the key to navigating (and helping the client navigate) that complexity?

Laura> This is one of the many exciting things happening in our industry, and it does require the skill and desire to collaborate with broader teams while letting go of some of the control when leading an account. Pointing back to the earlier question about what makes a strong relationship, trust and transparency are both critical when working across teams with specific specialties. And a clear vision will set the integrated team up for success.

LBB> What are your main aims and ambitions in your new role at Rodgers Townsend?

Laura> After 18 years at the agency my immediate ambition is the same as it always has been – to be an effective creative agency that focuses on our people, our clients and our creative product – and have fun doing it.

Our culture is a unique strength at RT and, as a leadership team, it’s always a focus for us. We’re fortunate to have a solid foundation to protect and nurture, but maintaining our strong culture will always be one of my top goals.

Our client relationships are a point of pride. Be it our 26-year partnership with AT&T, clients who have taken new paths hiring us for a second time in their new roles or a past colleague gone client-side who hired the agency. That boomerang-effect reinforces the value RT continually delivers.

Our creative product is our reason to be. To future-proof the agency, I will support and protect the creative process at every turn.