Marketing Strategist Joseph Upton Shares a Vision for the Future of Growth Partnerships
CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2025 / The traditional marketing agency model, once the gold standard for outsourcing creative and media services is increasingly being viewed as outdated and ineffective for today's high-growth companies. According to Chicago-based marketing strategist Joseph Upton, the agency structure that defined the last two decades of marketing is now failing to deliver the outcomes that modern CEOs and revenue leaders demand.
"The agency model is broken. Not because agencies lack talent, but because the structure itself is fundamentally misaligned with how today's growth-stage companies operate," says Upton. "We need a better way forward; one that's built on flexibility, accountability, and true partnership."
In a bold critique that reflects over 14 years of experience in marketing strategy, brand growth, and executive leadership, Upton is sounding the alarm for a systemic overhaul of agency-client relationships. His proposed solution? A new collaborative marketing partnership model that blends the strategic depth of in-house leadership with the specialized skill of external experts, without the red tape, inefficiencies, and misaligned incentives of the legacy agency model.
Why the Traditional Agency Model No Longer Works
For decades, companies relied on agencies as extensions of their internal teams, tasking them with campaign execution, creative development, media buying, and more. But in Upton's experience working with businesses from $1 million to $100 million in revenue, the cracks in that model have become impossible to ignore.
"The world has changed," Upton says. "Speed matters more. Alignment matters more. Outcomes matter more. And unfortunately, the agency model just wasn't built for that."
He identifies several critical flaws in how traditional agencies are structured:
Incentive Misalignment: Agencies are typically compensated based on retainers, billable hours, or media commissions; not performance or business outcomes. This often leads to a misalignment between client goals and agency efforts.
Bureaucratic Layers: Most agencies operate with rigid account management hierarchies, creating communication silos and slow decision-making.
Limited Strategic Ownership: Agencies may be strong executors, but they rarely own or understand the broader strategic objectives of the client's business.
One-Size-Fits-All Service Models: Traditional scopes and offerings are often rigid and packaged, making them incompatible with the evolving needs of scale-up businesses that require agility.
Short-Term Thinking: With an emphasis on deliverables and KPIs over customer lifetime value or market position, many agencies optimize for short-term wins at the expense of long-term impact.
"At best, traditional agencies function like vendors. But what growth companies need are partners; strategic collaborators who think like owners, act like teammates, and are accountable for real results," says Upton.
Inside the Collaborative Growth Model: Joseph Upton's Vision for the Future
In contrast to the conventional agency format, Joseph Upton proposes a Collaborative Growth Partnership model, an adaptive, integrated approach that fuses internal leadership with an on-demand network of specialized talent.
"This model is about building lean, agile growth teams that are embedded into the business, not orbiting around it," Upton explains.
The key pillars of this new model include:
1. Strategic Ownership First, Execution Second
Rather than outsourcing tactics to agencies and expecting strategic miracles, Upton emphasizes embedding marketing leadership that takes full ownership of the growth strategy.
"The right growth partner doesn't just run ads, they help shape the product story, influence go-to-market strategy, and align marketing with business objectives."
In practice, this looks like:
Fractional Chief Marketing Officers (fCMOs)
Embedded growth strategists
Senior-level marketing advisors who guide direction before creative begins
2. Modular Talent Networks
Instead of relying on a fixed agency team, Upton encourages businesses to build "modular teams" composed of best-in-class specialists who can be plugged in as needed. These include:
Freelance creatives, designers, and copywriters
Technical marketers (SEO, analytics, automation experts)
Media buyers and performance marketers
UX/UI professionals and conversion rate optimization specialists
"Think of it like assembling a SWAT team for growth," says Upton. "You bring in the right people for the right job, and you don't pay for overhead or unused capacity."
3. Incentive Alignment with Business Outcomes
Instead of billing by hours or deliverables, Upton advocates for performance-based compensation models where possible, tying marketing efforts to real business impact.
Revenue-sharing arrangements
Milestone-based retainers
Performance bonuses based on growth KPIs
"This ensures that everyone's rowing in the same direction," Upton explains. "When your marketing partner's compensation is linked to results, you get better strategy, stronger execution, and greater trust."
4. Embedded Communication, Not External Briefs
In the old model, clients submit briefs to agencies and wait for deliverables. In the new model, growth partners work shoulder-to-shoulder with internal teams, often participating in weekly standups, leadership calls, and real-time problem-solving.
"Collaboration happens in real-time, not on monthly review calls," says Upton. "There's no substitute for being in the room, even virtually, when decisions are made."
5. Dynamic Scopes, Not Static Contracts
Upton's vision includes moving away from rigid, annual scopes of work toward dynamic engagement structures that evolve based on the business's stage, priorities, and feedback loops.
Three- to six-month agile engagements
Monthly sprints with clear goals
Real-time pivots based on performance
This flexibility allows companies to allocate marketing budgets with precision and confidence, investing where impact is highest.
Who Benefits Most from This New Model?
Upton is clear: this approach isn't for every business. But for companies in the $1M-$100M revenue range, especially those backed by private equity or preparing for a growth inflection point, the model is particularly powerful.
These organizations often:
Lack a fully built in-house marketing team
Need senior strategic guidance but can't hire full-time executives
Want executional horsepower without bloated agency retainers
Are shifting from founder-led growth to systems-led growth
"They're in the messy middle," Upton says. "Too small for a big agency. Too big to keep winging it. What they need is an integrated, results-driven partner that helps them scale with clarity."
From Agency Clients to Growth Partners
Since launching his portfolio of ventures in 2021, Upton has partnered with dozens of companies to help them evolve past the agency model. His clients span SaaS, professional services, e-commerce, and health tech, and his role often includes fractional CMO services, marketing audits, positioning strategy, and revenue optimization.
He's also served as an advisor to boutique agencies looking to modernize their service delivery and align more closely with client outcomes.
"There's a better way to grow. It's leaner. It's smarter. And it starts with trust, transparency, and alignment," Upton says.
About Joseph Upton
Joseph Upton is a seasoned marketing strategist based in Chicago with over 14 years of experience helping companies between $1 million and $100 million in revenue achieve sustainable growth. Having risen through leadership roles in both B2B and B2C sectors, culminating as Chief Growth Officer at a private equity-backed firm, he now leads a portfolio of ventures focused on marketing innovation and strategic consulting. Known for his hands-on, results-driven approach, Joseph partners with founders, CEOs, and investors to drive performance through tailored growth strategies. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, street photography, and spending time with his wife, Emily, and their two children.
CONTACT:
Joseph Upton
email: upton@joseph-upton.com
SOURCE: Joseph Upton
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