Agencies Are Dead

Agencies are dead. Long live agile agencies.

Ajaz Ahmed, founder of WPP’s AKQA, announced the launch of his new agency, Studio One, as a "direct rival to the slow, bureaucratic, large agencies that have many layers."

Ahmed said his departure from WPP had come about as a result of a “misalignment of strategy” and “cultural friction”.

Sounds pretty familiar to anyone that's left a company in acrimonious circumstances.

And yet I feel it's how a lot of people feel in the Marketing field right now. The game has changed with the advent of AI.

I'm not going to talk about that specifically as everyone pretty much knows what's happening there.

I'm talking about the legacy stuff:

1) Borders ≠ talent limits

Hybrid and fully remote roles are now the first choice for 74 % of job-seekers. People want flexibility.

2) Outcomes > hours

When a content brief becomes 20 draft variations in 30 seconds, clients stop paying for “time spent” and start paying for “results shipped.” Pricing models are racing to value-based retainers and performance fees.

3) Creativity at the core

Generative tools level the production field; original insights, brand-specific data, and bold storytelling become the only defensible differentiators.

4) Culture rewired for async

Slack huddles + shared canvases + AI note-takers mean decisions happen in threads. Winners write process playbooks that thrive without a physical HQ.

“We feel it’s a new era for independent agencies,” said Ahmed.

Couldn't agree more.