If you know Silverback® you’ll know we’re big on values. If you’re new here, Hi, we’re Silverback®. We’re big on values. But why is that? What does it have to do with brand, design and communication? Why should it matter at all?
Everyone needs values
Whether you know it or not, you have a core set of values. You may not have written them down or said them out loud, but they’ll be there, somewhere. For individuals, this might be beliefs around society and welfare. For businesses, this could be its approach to relationships or behaviours.
From a psychological perspective, values can actually be quite complicated. But we’re going to keep it simple. In the context of a client-agency relationship, values tend to form an important invisible handshake that signals a clear understanding that each party is dealing with “good people”.
Why it’s more than just “good vibes”
Research around “value congruence” has proven that shared values have a positive effect on creative quality, team efficiency and commercial performance. Further research, specifically of agencies, shows that trust and relationship quality give agencies a competitive advantage and can underpin long-term growth.
But less about our world. What does that mean for you, as a Silverback® client?
Faster trust, less friction
Shared values build trust, and in a client-agency relationship, trust is everything. It gives both parties room to think and explore rather than just placing and taking orders. It also creates a space where difficult conversations and challenges can feel like joint problem-solving rather than pushback.
Clearer briefs, better creativity
Shared values lead to shared ideas. Everyone on the team knows what “good” looks like. Words like inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability come naturally. The mission and vision is easily shared and executed. And most of all, the longevity of the brand is in safe hands thanks to this value-driven creativity.
Longer relationships
Research shows that client-agency relationships built around mutual respect and values are key to long-term commitment. Recent industry data from ANA shows that client-agency tenures over seven years or more are built around the strength of the relationship as much as the quality of the work.
Better customer outcomes
This should really be at the top of the list, shouldn’t it? Clients don’t just hire us because we’re pretty. They hire us because they feel that we have what it takes to help their brand connect with their customers. And, you guessed it, it’s all about values.
A 2025 loyalty study showed that 89% of US customers support brands that share their values.
It’s more than just “being passionate”
Ah, passionate. The most over-worded word since words began wording. We’re all passionate about something. It’s a given. If we tell you we’re passionate about design, will you think, “Golly! They sure do hold some firm values”?
Probably not.
Passion, trust and honesty are a given. We like to think that most people and business are all of these things at the very least. For us, finding our values is about digging a little deeper and getting under the hairy gorilla skin of who we are as an agency, and as individuals.
So, Silverback®, do you lead with your values?
Good question. We have values. In fact, we have a “VMV”, which is our Vision, Mission and Values. We’ve spent many years developing our VMVs (along with many hundreds of clients’ too).
What you won’t find is our values front and centre of everything we do, at least from a visual and content perspective. We will include our values in a pitch deck if it feels necessary, but, for us, they’re more of a moral compass. A guiding star, if you will.
Our values simultaneously sit behind the scenes but remain omnipresent, and because we’ve been at this for such a long time, they are embedded in our many processes. From how we recruit and our internal comms, to what we say in public forums or what we look for in clients. It’s second nature.
If you’re curious, these are the Silverback® Rules of the Jungle. Or, yes, “values”:
Bold
We’re courageous and we take risks.
Collaborative
We are stronger with our clients’ creativity.
Genuine
We genuinely care about every little detail.
Instinctive
We know what is right for our clients.
Playful
We don’t take ourselves too seriously.
So to summarise, we really do believe that you should share a core set of values with your agency. For us, it’s a non-negotiable, and we think it should be for you too. The evidence is there: Values have shown positive effects on satisfaction, trust, emotional commitment and loyalty. And most important of all, creativity.
Values are the feelings and behaviours that are key to getting good work done.
And we love nothing more than getting good work done.
If you have a piece of work you’d like to speak to us about, get in touch today.
Do you have a particular question you’d like answered? We know it’s a jungle out there, so we’d love to shed some light on the full agency process. Submit your question here…
