Cat Hartland, UK Growth Lead at SBS, on why independent agencies face structural barriers to programmatic tools that holding company agencies take for granted, how SBS bundles 50-plus technologies with expert support, and why community-first beats competition in the ad tech ecosystem.
"Independent agencies have the talent. They just face a lot of red tape. We are removing that."
Why independent agencies deserve the same programmatic access as holding companies and how SBS delivers it
Cat Hartland leads growth at SBS, built on a single insight: the talent at independent agencies is every bit as good as at large holding company networks, but those independents face significant structural barriers to accessing the programmatic tools their larger competitors access as a matter of course.
In this conversation Hartland explains how SBS removes those barriers by bundling access to 50-plus technologies with the support and expertise that makes those technologies usable, how the model works for vendors as well as agencies, and why community-first is not just a values statement but a commercial model that benefits every participant.
We noticed the challenges that indie agencies face, particularly with gaining access to technologies that have come out of holdco agencies. These agencies have amazing talent, but there is a lot of red tape for them to get over. We are giving them a fair advantage in the industry.
Hartland frames SBS as a structural fix. The quality gap is not in the talent. It is in the access.
It makes sense for vendors to prioritise bigger accounts from a scaling perspective. But they do want to service smaller businesses. They just cannot be as hands-on. SBS creates a great layer that takes away the legwork for them.
A three-party win: agencies get access, vendors get reach without overhead, SBS earns its position as connective infrastructure.
We do not use the word competition. We use community. When people come around a table to work together where everyone wins, that is exactly what we want to create. Every audience type we work with, whether clients, vendors, or internally, it is all about how we work together so we all win.
Community framing is not just values language. It creates incentives for collaboration that the whole ecosystem benefits from.
We have formed genuine partnerships with 50-plus technologies. It is omnichannel: out of home, social, everything you would expect. We understand how each technology works and the benefits of each.
The depth of expertise accumulated over five-plus years of building partnerships is what distinguishes SBS from simply acting as a reseller.
When done right, programmatic is an incredibly groundbreaking way to connect with audiences. A lot of people shy away when they hear the word. But when you have the support and expertise to navigate it, it is simply one of the most effective tools available.
Hartland makes an accessibility argument. Complexity has historically favoured large agencies. SBS lowers the barrier without reducing quality.
"When people come around a table to work together where everyone wins, that is what a real ecosystem looks like."
Justin Cooke Tell us about SBS and your role.
Cat Hartland SBS is a programmatic curation platform specifically designed for independent agencies. My role is UK Growth Lead. We noticed the challenges that indie agencies face accessing the technologies that holdco agencies take for granted. We are giving them a fair advantage.
Justin Cooke How does the model work?
Cat Hartland We have built genuine partnerships with 50-plus technologies, omnichannel. An indie agency comes to us and gets the full breadth with our expert support included.
Justin Cooke Why community not competition?
Cat Hartland We do not use the word competition. We use community. When everyone around the table wins that is a real ecosystem. The agencies win, the vendors win, the industry wins.
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