Marketing Agencies Are Feeling an Artificial Uptick in Business

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

Eric Siu and Neil Patel

Careers, Business, Marketing

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 September 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Agencies face pressure but smart M&A chances emerge. We cover deal math, asset vs. stock pitfalls, ops fixes, “artificial upticks,” and brand-safety risks—plus lessons from Federer, Jerry Jones, and LinkedIn’s SEO surge. Key takeaways Agency deals: Buy assets, check contracts, cross-sell, and use AI. Growth reality: Upticks are old deals; fix ops and hiring to grow. Winning edge: Small gains add up—stay steady and market with flair. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Agencies Are Struggling—M&A Conversations Heat Up (01:16) B2B+B2C Synergy: Community, Creators & AI Leverage (03:58) From Skepticism to Deal Diligence: How It Starts (04:13) Buying Agencies: Asset Deals & Contract Traps (04:46) Fast Filters: Not Every Intro Deserves a Call (05:40) Artificial Revenue Spikes from Delayed Deals (06:43) Growth via New Logos vs Operational Unblocking (08:19) Macro View: Why the Economy Still Feels Weak (08:41) Brand Safety Gone Wrong: Public Backlash Case (12:10) Sponsor Note: NP Digital + Growth Tools (12:29) Federer’s 54% Rule: Winning with Marginal Gains (15:07) Djokovic on Composure: Your Brand = Your Temperament (15:55) Cowboys Case Study: Spectacle as Strategy (20:41) Promo DNA: Jerry Jones Learned from Grocery Hype (21:00) LinkedIn SEO Surge, ChatGPT Referrals Drop (21:45) Final Takeaways & Wrap 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟 Welcome to Marketing School, one of the top business podcasts with over 61 million downloads. Each episode delivers actionable marketing tips and strategies from two entrepreneurs who truly practice what they preach. The show is hosted by Eric Siu, founder of Leveling Up and Single Grain, and Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital and recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Marketer. 🎙️ Learn More About the Hosts Eric Siu – Leveling Up: https://www.youtube.com/@LevelingUpOfficial Neil Patel: https://www.youtube.com/@neilpatel 📩 Free Resources Growth Newsletter: https://levelingup.beehiiv.com/subscribe Ubersuggest: https://www.ubersuggest.com/ Answer The Public: https://www.answerthepublic.com/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Dude, can we talk about how agencies are struggling right now too?
0:05.3	Because for whatever reason, that day when you called me earlier this week, multiple people
0:08.5	that day from multiple agencies.
0:10.9	So there's a guy that we know, mutual, mutual friend of ours.
0:14.4	I thought they were doing, call it 20 million or so.
0:17.3	And when I asked them how they were doing it was it they've decelerated
0:21.2	called down to like 5.7 and get granted this is not his main business anymore I think
0:24.8	you know what I'm talking about I'm not gonna name names but I'm meeting him in Miami
0:30.3	yeah and then that was the one that I told him to merge with you yeah and I was like but
0:37.1	but that's a pretty significant deceleration from 20.
0:40.0	He was,
0:40.3	he was never at 20.
0:52.3	Yeah. So call it. I'm not saying he's lying. I don't think he actually was at 20. He's, he's never told me he was at 20. I think the miscommunication there. Even if he was, yes, yes. I did hear at least 14 before.
0:52.9	You know what I mean?
0:53.8	I heard that number before. Yeah.
0:54.1	Right.
0:54.3	So, but down to 5.7 and I'm like, okay, interesting.
0:57.1	And then we, you and I, um, I did hear at least 14 before. You know what I mean? I heard that number before. Yeah. Right.
0:54.3	So, but down to 5.7 and I'm like, okay, interesting.
0:57.1	And then we, you and I, you actually, you know, sent two people over. I'm just like, man, a lot of these people are struggling right now. And then that same day, an M&A firm was like, hey, are you buying anything right now? I was like, hey, you're reaching out right now.
1:10.7	Like, are a lot of agency struggling?
1:12.1	He's like, yeah, they are.
	...

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