Product + personality. That's what wins pitches! - Lennon Kelly, M3
Episode 21 - THAT MOMENT
They pitched against ten other agencies for West Midlands Metro. They beat Midlands and national agencies for MG Motor UK. And they did it all from Shropshire and Birmingham. Lennon Kelly helped make that happen - and he had Coca-Cola, Unilever and Nokia on his CV when he chose to do it.
Lennon Kelly is Client Services Director at M3, a West Midlands agency that's grown from £4 million to over £6.5 million, expanding to Manchester, Dubai, Cardiff and Bristol. But when Lennon joined in 2019, M3 was already punching above its weight with global brands like MG and Harley-Davidson on the roster. What he saw wasn't a regional limitation - he saw a unique proposition that others had missed.
Most people assume you need to be in London to work at the highest level. Lennon spent his formative years proving that wrong. At 28, just a year into agency life, he was put in boardrooms with Unilever. He worked on Nokia's 2310 relaunch. He got exposure to GSK's medical research alongside Aquafresh campaigns. And Coca-Cola - the biggest brand in the world - taught him something he's never forgotten: the responsibility is huge, and it makes you push yourself.
But here's what Lennon discovered working with those global brands: there's a lot of people in higher positions who fail upwards. You're a small part in a very big machine. You don't necessarily get the recognition. And whilst the fringe benefits were great - Premier League games, golf championships, seeing your work wrapped around his dad's Everton burger - he wanted to make more of a difference.
So when M3 showed him their vision, he bet his career on it. Regional talent. World-class training from people who'd left London in their 30s for families and houses, bringing that expertise back to the Midlands. And a team that cared enough about hiring him to send what felt like a cast of thousands to the interview.
The MG Motor UK pitch happened over Zoom during Covid. Lennon hates Zoom pitches - you don't get the one-on-one, you don't get the theatre. But they went big anyway. Two separate creative teams. Care packages sent to the client. Rehearsed to the hill. Paid campaigns targeting them with reinforcing messages. Product plus personality. And the feedback? "We could feel you in the room over Zoom."
Now M3 is going through B Corp certification - a laborious process that's unpicked every seam of the business. But it's given them a platform for accelerated growth that wouldn't have been possible without changing the culture, not just the processes. The vision Lennon heard in those first few months? It's being realised.
This episode tackles the assumption that makes Lennon angriest: that regional agencies are the cheap or budget option. They're not better value because they're cheaper. They're better value because they're more in touch and connected outside the London bubble.
What Working With Global Brands Teaches You:
The Responsibility Makes You Push Yourself: Working with Coca-Cola, you realize they got to that size and scale for a very good reason - everybody has to work to that consistent level. You realize the impact one headline or one 96-sheet can have. The responsibility is huge. But it's empowering and inspiring. It makes you raise your game.
Small Part in a Big Machine: With Premier League clubs and major golf championships, Lennon got the fringe benefits - games, championships, the lifestyle. But you're a small part in a very big machine. You don't necessarily get the recognition. After achieving what he had in his career, he wanted to make more of a difference.
Authority Comes From Insight: The wisdom from agencies comes from insight. Global brands are fantastic at running their companies and working within their sectors. But the niches and the nuances - that's where agency expertise lives. At Coca-Cola, they've never respected marketing insight or the advertising world more. That quid pro quo taught Lennon what agencies actually bring.
Failing Upwards Is Real: There's a lot of people in higher positions that fail upwards - you see it in big brands, big companies, and definitely in politics. The idea of working at that level was about paying your dues, working up to where you want to be. But when opportunities come, you've got to make the most of them.
What Regional Agencies Can Do:
Product Plus Personality Wins Pitches: A brand is product plus personality. M3 brought their product, their people, their service - and they added all of that personality to the pitch. Over Zoom, during Covid, when theater was almost impossible. But they had the right people. That personality resonated and made a big difference.
Going Over and Above Gets Recognised: They sent care packages. They ran paid campaigns targeting MG with messages reinforcing little things in the pitch. They went to town. When you go over and above, it's recognised. The client could feel them in the room over Zoom - because they'd done everything they could to make that happen.
Regional Doesn't Mean Second Tier: The assumption that makes Lennon angriest? That regional agencies can't compete with London or that they're the cheap or budget option. Absolutely untrue. They're not better value because they're cheaper - they're better value because they're more in touch and connected outside the London bubble.
Talent Returns to the Regions: What happens with London: a lot of talent comes in very young. As they hit 30s, mid-30s, they all start to leave. They want families, houses. That talent comes back out with world-class training, world-class capabilities, and goes back to the regions where they're from or to big metropolitan hubs. M3 has reaped the benefit of that.
B Corp Unlocks Growth: Stable, considered growth. M3 spent the past two years going through B Corp certification - unpicking every seam, every element of the business. It's made them understand where they weren't being as efficient or effective. You can't just change processes - you've got to change the way you're thinking and get everybody to buy into it. The culture now fosters accelerated growth.
Treat Every Opportunity With Respect:M3 has a criteria and matrix for selecting the right clients. But they also look for ignition brands - get with them early on. B Corp gives them another reason: commitment to local communities, local businesses, local partners, local suppliers. When they see that fit, they should be the agency in the West Midlands delivering for them.
From Lennon's perspective as someone who worked with the biggest brand in the world and chose to bet on a regional agency instead, witness how location matters far less than people think. He's been on this journey for 17 years. The responsibility from those global brands taught him to care about his clients' people just as much as his own. The teams make everything possible - you're not a lone wolf, you're relying on everybody at base to deliver the quality clients expect.
Lennon shares what he learned from Coca-Cola that he carries everywhere: when you walk into those rooms, you realize the responsibility you have. You've got to take that care and attention with every single client, big or small. But when you go into that room, the responsibility is huge - and it's empowering, inspiring, and it makes you push yourself.
This episode addresses the question every agency professional wrestling with geography asks: do you really need to be in a major city to have a serious career? Or is that assumption exactly what's holding regional agencies back from competing for the work they deserve?
About Supo:
Supo provides people-first intelligence software for professional services firms, helping businesses maximize profit and motivate their people through powerful, AI-enabled business intelligence dashboards. By connecting over 500+ platforms and providing real-time data analysis, Supo helps firms make better data-driven decisions about their profit, projects, and people.
For more information about Supo: www.supo.co.uk
About M3:
M3 is a fully integrated agency based in the West Midlands with offices in Manchester, Dubai, Cardiff and Bristol. Specialising in automotive, travel, leisure and tourism sectors, M3 has grown from £4 million to over £6.5 million by proving that regional location doesn't limit global ambition. With clients including MG Motor UK, West Midlands Metro, and Aston Villa, M3 combines world-class creative talent with the insight and connection that comes from being outside the London bubble. Currently pursuing B Corp certification, M3 is committed to sustainable growth, local communities, and building a culture where people can deliver their best work.
For more information about M3: https://www.m3.agency/
Ready to discover why postcodes don't win pitches - talent, integration and ambition do? This episode isn't about geography. It's about proving that you can compete from anywhere if you have the right people and the courage to go big.