We at The Practice love to receive new briefs from clients across a broad range of sectors; it’s what keeps our creative team invigorated. But it can be just as rewarding to work with clients whom we’ve established strong relations with over the years.

Our client portfolio is diverse because we value our ability to take on new projects while simultaneously forging and building upon lasting partnerships. None other is this true than with one of our most seasoned clients, Derrinstown Stud, whom we’ve partnered with since 1998. Derrinstown is one of Ireland’s leading stud farms, and one of eight owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance; understandably the company relies upon maintaining its prestigious reputation and position. Derrinstown first approached us as they required a creative agency who could deliver a new corporate look and feel every year. Since that inaugural year, they and we have never looked back- we’ve worked together to produce fourteen years worth of annual brochures, race cards, advertising campaigns and websites.

This year marks our fifteenth collaboration, and we’re proud to announce that their new site has just gone live. Aside from a web refresh, each year we create a new stallion sales brochure and corporate ads. In total, we’ve produced more than ninety-eight brochure concepts and the astounding aspect is that they’ve nearly all been different too!

So what is the key to such a relationship? Ultimately, it’s about both parties sharing the bigger picture. The beauty is that we’ve witnessed the birth of Derrinstown’s image and vision while they’ve recognized our creative and strategic application- it’s the kind of partnership that doesn’t come along often, and for this we feel truly humbled. Aside from an understanding of concept, trust and foresight, the secret ingredient has always been an injection of humour, (particularly on our end!)

All too often, the perception is that a longstanding client/agency relationship can quickly become sterile, predictable and unchallenging. But our relationship with Derrinstown is proof positive that this is just not the case. Every year working with Derrinstown has enlightened us to a journey of fresh growth and incomparable dynamism. Best of all, we’re constantly reaching new milestones; yet there’s no finite destination in sight!

The unique challenge for us with having such a veteran client on our books has been to continually meet the demands of a changing world- we’ve had to ensure that we maintain Derrinstown’s strong branding despite the passing years. Furthermore, our longstanding partnership presents another interesting challenge; while many clients like to maintain a static marketing formula, Derrinstown are constantly evolving theirs. “It is very rare to have a client/agency relationship where the client is an innovative thinker and prepared to change their marketing on an annual basis,” said Lee Bullett, Creative Director at The Practice. Needless to say, we always eagerly anticipate each new year and look forward to another fourteen years of successful partnership!

What, in your opinion, is the foundation of a solid client/agency relationship? And do you think that in today’s climate, agencies can often neglect these partnerships in favour of new projects? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and comment via our Facebook page.

To learn more about Derrinstown Stud, please visit their official site.