London, 27th April 2026: Over half of clients working with independent agencies (54%) are considered Active Advocates – giving the highest satisfaction rating (9/10) – compared with just 2 in 5 agencies part of holding companies (39%), according to new global data, released today from Verity Relationship Intelligence (VerityRI), the consultancy behind The Relationship Rating (TRR), the recognised industry benchmark for measuring client satisfaction.
The data, which compares this year’s TRR ratings1 against the last four years of TRR ratings, back to 2021, shows that across both holding groups and independents, clients see issues with speed, complexity, resourcing and coordination regardless of agency model and low-performing agencies on either side look remarkably similar with transactional delivery, operational drag and inconsistent experiences.
While VerityRI TRR data shows client experience has improved across the board, independent agencies consistently sustain a 5% advantage, because they excel where it matters most: in relational strength. One of the most striking findings is the role of relational factors in moderating operational problems. When issues are mentioned negatively, client ratings drop sharply. But when strong business understanding and trusting partnerships are present, the experience improves by up to 30%, even when the operational reality has not changed.
Clients of independent agencies are also becoming more vocal in their overall praise. Meanwhile the data reflects a decline in praise for holding company talent, as well as feedback from clients increasingly describing holding group talent as transactional, shaped by layers of process and challenges accessing senior capability at the right moments. Independent talent, by contrast, is more frequently associated with trust, influence, effectiveness and relationship‑driven impact.
Independent agency talent is rated highly for their trusting partnership (6.9%) and product expertise (4.0%) and client service (3.9%), whereas holding group talent is rated higher for efficient delivery (6.9%), proactive leadership (5.2%) and resource (2.8%).
VerityRI’s data shows that this growing divergence in client experience goes beyond the relationship and is contributing to an 8% innovation gap between independents and holding companies.
However, insights also show that low-performing agencies across both models are broadly similar, with operational execution and excellence ranking as the weakest-scoring area. Among high-performing agencies, independents are rated most strongly for their growth-oriented partnership approach, strategic vision and innovation.
Across high-performing holding groups and independent agencies alike, VerityRI has identified the four core traits that differentiate them from low-performers.
- Efficient Delivery – How efficiently, effectively and quickly the agency executes work – creating momentum through operational clarity and discipline.
- Client Service – How easy the agency is to work with and how client-centric, collaborative and supportive they are – creating a smooth experience through day-to-day interactions.
- Proactive Leadership – How actively the agency takes ownership, anticipates needs and challenges the client – staying ahead of needs, issues and pushing progress forward.
- Strategic Guidance – How clearly the agency provides insight, advice, solutions and direction – reducing complexity and enabling outcome-led decision making.
Taken together, the results show that performance across both holding groups and independents is most consistently associated with the strength of relationships alongside delivery, service, and strategic capability.
Vikki Mickel, CEO at VerityRI said: “For years, the industry has focused on the perceived battle between holding groups and independent agencies. But our data proves that while both operate under the same operational pressures, independents appear to be better at absorbing them. This, however, is not about size or structure, but about proximity. Agencies that invest in relational strength – clarity of ownership, psychological safety and how teams work together – build greater resilience and adaptability. Holdcos bring scale and independents bring closeness, but it is the ability to consciously strengthen relationships that increasingly defines competitive advantage. In the end, businesses need to remember that clients experience people, not operating models.”
