"Part of Boathouse's appeal is its contrarian streak - after all, few agencies proudly declare their opposition to the term agency of record, a designation most actually hope to receive from clients. And in age of dominance by holding companies who yearn to be all that and a shot of whiskey for their clients, Boathouse is clearly marching in a different direction."
"That direction has worked, with the shop picking up Franklin Templeton and another client in the real estate business (who declined to be identified) in late 2024. "I think it's done well for us, being a contrarian, because I think the agency business hasn't performed that well, as evidenced by IPG and Omnicom having to merge," said Connors, who grew up in the agency world working for his father Jack, a co-founder of Hill Holliday."
John Connors founded Boathouse and has led the Boston-based full-service agency for 25 years, pursuing a contrarian strategy that has produced steady growth. The agency handles about $100 million in billings and expects 5–10% revenue growth in 2025. Boathouse rejects the traditional 'agency of record' model and positions itself as consultative without acting as a business consultant. The firm focuses on connecting the CMO with the rest of the C‑suite to align marketing and strategic goals before commissioning research. The contrarian approach yielded new business in late 2024, including Franklin Templeton and an unnamed real estate client, and earned praise from Franklin Templeton's CMO.
Read at Digiday
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