Meet Yeco: the smarter way brands find the perfect agency match

The Brand Identity: We’re pleased to announce a partnership with Yeco, a consultancy that helps brands find their ideal agency partner from a vetted global network. Founded by Coby Phillips, Yeco was born from a six-figure mistake: while working in his family business, Phillips watched a slick agency pitch turn into six months of zero return, and realised the way brands find agency partners was fundamentally broken. Nine years on, Yeco matches brands with agencies based on chemistry, budget alignment and cross-channel expertise, rather than good-looking case studies alone.

Through this partnership, brands across our community can now access Yeco’s matchmaking process directly through this form, free of charge. To mark the launch, we sat down with Phillips to discuss what separates agencies that consistently win pitches, why he tells them to ditch the deck on a first call, and the common mistakes brands make when searching alone. TBI Hey Coby! How are you? CP I am doing great.

I am making my way through a bunch of brand discovery calls this week. TBI When did you realise brands and agencies needed a better way to find each other – and that you were the person to build it? CP I was working in the family business when we invested in an agency that we really could not afford to lose. The agency was incredible at selling us the dream, and we locked into a six-month contract and well into a six-figure investment, only to receive zero ROI. I saw my father get hurt by that decision and realised there had to be a better way to find agencies.

That was the moment I decided to build a company that helps brands make smarter decisions when choosing agency partners. A nice website and strong case studies are not enough. A nice website and strong case studies are not enough. TBI With over 400,000 agencies globally, the choice for brands is overwhelming. What are the most common mistakes you see brands make when searching for an agency partner on their own? CP A lot of brands base their decisions on a nice website and strong case studies. At Yeco, there is much more to it.

To break it down, an agency may have a core strength but still offer supporting channels even though they are not true experts in those areas. At Yeco, we make sure there is alignment across channels, chemistry between teams, and budgets that match what the brand is ready to invest. The best partnerships feel collaborative, not transactional. The best partnerships feel collaborative, not transactional. TBI Walk us through your vetting process for agencies joining the network – what separates an agency that gets in from one that doesn’t? CP When I started, it was a lot of trial and error.

I interviewed hundreds of agencies, walked through their success stories, but more importantly, their failures. Anyone can present a great case study. I wanted to know why things went wrong, and whether they had the self-awareness to own it. Nine years in, the vetting criteria have sharpened considerably. We look at consistency of results across client types, how they handle budget constraints, communication style, and whether their team structure actually matches what they’re pitching. Agencies that perform and grow clients stay in the network.

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Yeco's innovative approach to agency matching addresses a significant pain point in the brand/design industry, making it highly relevant and impactful for professionals seeking effective partnerships.