For agencies
Help clients pay differently, remove barriers and grow smarter
Corporate Trade for agencies helps clients fund growth when budgets are under pressure and every pitch has to work harder.
Active International helps agencies unlock value already sitting inside their clients’ businesses. That value can help fund media, content, digital activity, travel, events and wider growth opportunities.
We are a growth solutions partner rooted in Corporate Trade. It is a structured, audited value exchange that helps brands, agencies and media owners create value across the market.
Talk to us about your next pitch
A structured way to unlock value, protect plans and create more room for growth.
Corporate Trade gives agencies another way to help clients use value already in the business to fund stronger plans, support activity and open up conversations beyond the media budget.
Why agencies work with Active
Agencies are often asked to deliver more impact without more cash budget. That can make strong plans harder to protect, harder to sell and harder to scale.
Corporate Trade gives agencies another commercial lever. It helps clients fund the plan differently, using value already in the business.
›Build a stronger commercial case before the client says yes
›Unlock extra value when cash budgets are tight
›Protect or extend the plan you have already built
›Give clients a credible way to pay differently
›Add a point of difference in competitive pitches
›Support clients with media, digital, content, travel, events and wider business needs
›Open growth conversations beyond the media budget
Bring us in early
Timing matters. If Corporate Trade is introduced after a plan is already agreed, it can still help fund activity and reduce pressure on cash spend.
But when we are involved at pitch or planning stage, we can help build a stronger commercial case, give the agency a clearer point of difference and help the client see a credible route to a bigger plan.
Brought in at activation, Corporate Trade can help fund a plan. Brought in at pitch stage, it can help you win one.
What Corporate Trade means now
Corporate Trade started with media barter: using surplus stock or business assets to help fund media.
That heritage still matters. It gives us the relationships, infrastructure and trading experience to do what we do today. But the model has moved on.
Today, value can come from products, services, inventory, media value, travel, content, future commitments and other commercial assets. We structure that value so agencies can help clients do more, without relying only on cash budget.
Learn more about Corporate Trade
How Corporate Trade for agencies works
Corporate Trade works because value moves across the market, not just between two parties. Active connects the different partners and structures the exchange so each side gets a clear commercial benefit.
For agencies
A commercial lever that cash-only conversations do not give you. We help you create more options for clients and build stronger commercial stories.
For brand clients
A way to turn underused value into media, digital, content, travel, events, rewards or other growth needs.
For media owners
A way to access incremental revenue and use value in the relationship to support practical business costs.
What can be traded?
More than most people expect.
›Consumer products and surplus stock
›Services and commercial assets
›Travel inventory, including flights, hotels and packages
›Retail gift cards
›Energy and utilities
›Technology and services
›Media inventory
›Content and production value
›Cross-market commercial arrangements
What can it unlock?
Far more than a media buy.
›Media campaigns and programmatic activity
›Content and production
›Business travel and accommodation
›Meetings, events and hospitality
›Staff incentives and rewards
›Operational cost savings
›New market support
›Pitch support and commercial leverage
›Wider commercial growth opportunities
What Active brings together
We are rooted in Corporate Trade, but we bring together a wider set of capabilities to help agencies and their clients solve commercial challenges.
01
Corporate Trade
Structured value exchanges across brands, agencies and media owners.
02
Media and Digital
Digital and programmatic capability built around the trade model.
03
Content
Ways to fund and produce content through structured value.
04
Business Services
Travel, events, accommodation and rewards that turn asset value into practical outcomes.
05
Commercial Tools
Credit insurance, capital investment, guaranteed ROI models and global support where relevant.
Why agencies can trust the model
We know Corporate Trade can sound too good to be true if it is not explained properly. That is why transparency matters.
Active International is independently audited by Deloitte every year and operates in full compliance with industry standards.
Corporate Trade is designed to support the plan you are building and help make it easier to deliver. Corporate Trade changes how value is structured around the plan, not the plan itself.
We make margin through the commercial structure we create. The model only works when value is created for every party involved, so our interests are aligned with yours.
Common questions about Corporate Trade for agencies
Is Corporate Trade just media barter?
Media barter is where the model began. Corporate Trade today is broader, more structured and more useful. It can support media, content, digital activity, travel, events, operational costs and wider growth needs.
Will Corporate Trade compromise the media plan?
No. The media plan should still be led by audience, channel and performance objectives. Corporate Trade supports how value is structured around the plan.
Is Corporate Trade only for distressed assets?
No. Surplus stock can be part of the model, but value can also come from products, services, inventory, future commitments, media value, travel, content and other commercial assets.
When should an agency bring Active in?
The earlier the better. Corporate Trade can help at activation stage, but it is most powerful when it is part of the pitch or planning conversation.
How does Active make money?
We make margin through the commercial structure we create. There are no hidden costs and no inflated media prices built into the model.
Want to see what this could unlock for your next pitch?
We will walk you through a real example built around your client, your challenge and your plan. No jargon. No commitment. Just a straight commercial conversation.
Talk to Active
