Marketing agencies can provide strategy, design, media buying and publication services within one client relationship. The quotation should distinguish mistakes in professional work from allegations involving published material or licensed creative assets.
Professional-service allegations
Professional indemnity concerns allegations about professional services. Compare the accepted activities, claim and notification wording, prior-work provisions and exclusions. A higher limit cannot repair an activity that the wording does not accept.
The decision that deserves the closest review
List who approves content, who owns campaign accounts and which party clears rights. Ask how media liability, copyright allegations, contractual penalties and work carried out by freelancers are treated. Keep approval records so that the scope of the agency’s role is easier to establish.
Premiums, excesses and usable cover
Request quotations using the same business description, required limits and relevant dates. Put the annual premium, any instalment charges, excesses and important sublimits in one comparison. A cheaper premium can represent a different transfer of risk rather than the same cover at a better price.
| Comparison item | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Creative and publication activities | Is publication liability part of the proposed wording? |
| Media spend and contractual responsibilities | Are copyright allegations covered, excluded or separately insured? |
| Freelancer arrangements and rights-clearance controls | Which client approvals must be retained? |
Request the proposed wording and schedule, not just a price or certificate. Mark any difference that affects a real activity before deciding whether the premium saving is worthwhile.
A hypothetical example
An agency plans to reuse a licensed photograph across a new campaign channel. Before launch, it checks the permitted usage and seeks a clear insurance response to the publication activities. Buying a policy is not permission to exceed the licence.
Prepare an accurate insurance enquiry
Give each adviser a consistent description of the activities being insured. Include important contracts, changes since the previous enquiry and matters the insurer asks you to disclose. Do not guess answers merely to obtain a faster or cheaper quote; ask for clarification when the proposal wording is unclear.
Trace a campaign from instruction to publication
Document who supplies creative assets, who obtains licences and who approves each publication. Include freelancers and media-buying platforms in the process map. The resulting record helps the agency explain its own duties without implying that every task performed somewhere in the campaign belongs to the agency.
Compare quotations using one campaign that crosses several channels. Ask how a rights complaint, an incorrect advertisement and a missed placement would be treated. The questions should distinguish defence, compensation and refunds the agency has voluntarily promised, since a commercial remedy is not automatically an insured loss.
Include overseas work or sales in the UK business’s enquiry and confirm the accepted territories and jurisdictions.
A mistake to avoid
Treating public liability cover as protection for every financial or media-related complaint.
Check what happens after the policy starts
Ask who to contact when activities change or a potential claim arises. Understand the notification and consent process before arranging repairs, appointing specialists or settling a complaint. At renewal, compare the new documents with the accepted business description; continuity of a familiar brand does not prove continuity of every term.
Questions before choosing
Should freelancers carry their own insurance?
Discuss the allocation of responsibility and evidence of cover, without assuming their policy automatically protects the agency.
Will recording client approval remove all agency exposure?
Approval records help establish what happened, but they do not replace a suitable engagement or policy. Review the duties the agency still retains after approval.
Sources and further reading
Research date: 6 October 2026. Refer to the current linked guidance and written provider or adviser terms when making a decision.