As the year draws to a close, agency leaders share their key lessons for 2024. In this episode of Agency advicewe hear what they learned about AI and technology and where it’s headed in 2025.
2024 hasn’t exactly been an annus horribilis, but it’s not necessarily an annus mirabilis either. With marketing budgets remaining tight, ongoing debates around hybrid working practices, streamlining as AI begins to impact agency models, and client expectations continually evolving (and not in common sense), the last 12 months have been difficult. But with challenges comes opportunities.
Here, agency leaders reflect on what they’ve learned about AI and technology and how agencies should manage them in the year ahead.
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Katy Wright, CEO, FCB London: “Business is tough, but we have to remember what industry we are in. AI cannot replace creative genius. We’ll keep trying, but between now and 2025, we need to stay focused on what we do well, which is creating work that makes a difference. There are so many distractions, but we need to stay the course, get creative and continue to come up with different solutions to our clients’ business challenges. This does not mean that we should ignore the benefits of technological advancements: we must continue to learn and innovate for the benefit of our customers. I’m not going to present our new business strategy, but next year – as it should be every year – the key ingredient for success, our secret sauce, is our people. We must continue to ensure we create the best possible environment for them to thrive.
Dan Gardner, co-founder, Code and Theory: “Being in the digital transformation business means embracing change. This requires balancing the implementation of today’s technologies to address today’s challenges while helping businesses invest in their future to seize tomorrow’s opportunities. Too often, businesses fall into the trap of viewing digital solutions as tactical executions rather than an organizational strategy that seamlessly connects creativity to systems. The key lesson we learned is that relentlessly developing ideas and fostering a culture that delivers exceptional value to customers is the only way to thrive in this ever-changing digital landscape. One of our greatest achievements has been our investment in maintaining a balance of 50% creatives and 50% technologists. This unique proposition has really paid off over the past year, positioning us as the only large-scale company capable of providing this level of integration. While many in the industry talk about this balance, few base it on the actual composition of their teams – we do. This balance is essential not only to meet today’s challenges, but also to address the complexities of tomorrow’s opportunities. As the industry rapidly evolves, it is critical to adapt internally by leveraging emerging technologies and cultivating a culture of innovation, enabling us to do the same for our customers. Success isn’t just about using advanced tools; it’s about thinking creatively and applying these tools in a truly differentiated way.
Deb Hall, CEO, Dive: “2024 has been a year of transformation and recalibration. The most important lesson was the value of agility: remaining nimble in your strategy while remaining deeply committed to creative excellence. Dive’s clients use authentic, creator-led stories that resonate across the digital and physical worlds. Investing in innovation, particularly in how we integrate social UGC into DOOH and CTV campaigns, has driven performance. This year, we’ve placed a greater emphasis on brand safety through enhancements to our Dive platform. Ensuring a secure and trusted environment for advertisers has been a key differentiator and we will continue to innovate and expand this goal to maintain customer trust in 2025. Our Deep Dive measurement solutions have given our customers a measurable impact on all platforms, pushing us to strengthen our analyses. and reporting capabilities. One thing that remains the same is that bold and creative ideas, combined with technological delivery, generate exceptional brand experiences. Looking ahead to 2025, we are doubling down on our cross-channel UGC campaigns by improving content moderation and expanding partnerships and collaborations for even greater impact.
Leonardo Ricagni, founder and executive creative director, Migrante: “It has never been more important to safeguard the art of storytelling and cinema. In an advertising industry increasingly dominated by AI, we see human creativity becoming increasingly marginalized. At Migrante, we are, above all, filmmakers and storytellers. Engaging consumer emotions relies on people who are talented and skilled in the art of storytelling. An over-reliance on technology and data has homogenized much of the advertising industry’s output. It is only through human creativity that we can succeed. »
Sarah Mehler, CEO and co-founder of Left Field Labs: “2024 has been a year of voracious learning for all of us – driven by the dynamic landscape of AI and emerging technologies. We really leaned into the “laboratory” part of who we are; R&D has accelerated our ability to create real-world applications of the latest technologies and advance our customers’ businesses. And it’s not a moment too soon, as the interplay between AI and immersive technologies portends deeper disruptions. In 2024, consumers have rewarded immersive, human-centered experiences. This imperative has extended beyond entertainment, redefining B2B and B2C engagement through participatory and emotionally resonant experiences. As AI and emerging technologies rapidly evolved, we discovered that success hinged on three fundamental principles: rigorous experimentation, rapid real-world deployment, and unwavering attention to human needs. By investing in these areas while balancing technological capability and human expertise, we have refined an agency model that transforms innovation into a systematic process of growth – one well-calibrated for the opportunities of 2025.”
Courtney Lewis, Marketing Director, The Variable: “AI was our agency’s MVP in 2024 and will continue to give us an advantage in 2025. Our talent is so sophisticated in their use of AI tools that we have built a moat around our work and the ability of other agencies to compete with us. We’re able to customize specification work, thoughts, and insights in a way that wasn’t scalable before. Being a small agency is tough, but it’s a lot less scary with tools that let you act like you’re twice the size. AI does not replace our talents: it creates even more distance between the quality of our work and that of others.
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Joe Maglio, President of Cheil North America and CEO of McKinney & Barbarian: “Many lessons learned from 2024 will shape our thinking in 2025, starting with AI. We have seen AI deliver incredible operational efficiencies, lightning-fast computing power, and impressive, if nascent, creative capabilities. The key lesson is that any agency that doesn’t understand how to leverage AI will inevitably fall behind and clients will see and feel it. Another key lesson from this year can be learned from the presidential election: do you really understand your target audience? This applies to agencies: are you listening to your clients’ activities to the extent that you really know what they need in 2025? We need to understand that there are elements that drive the client’s business that have nothing to do with advertising and media and take a holistic view of what the client is concerned about. And for brands, do you not only know where your sales are coming from today but also where they will come from tomorrow and are you showing up in the right places with a culturally relevant message that will inspire action?
Michael Monaco, SVP of Marketing Analytics and Insights, Kepler: “As an industry, we approach 2025 with renewed energy and focus. Marketers continue to value the business understanding, exceptional service and agility that allows mid-sized agencies to outperform large holding companies. Agencies that prioritize eliminating unnecessary costs while investing in truly differentiated technology and cultivating talent to deliver thought leadership and high-value services will lead the way in shaping the future of the market.
Lauren Kay-Lambert, co-managing director, Shape History: “2024 has been a year of relentless global challenges – from devastating global events to troubling new leaders accelerating social impact crises. As an agency, we faced constant hurdles: integrating AI into our work, managing cash flow despite partner delays, and finding space to push the boundaries of creativity. But that pales in comparison to the urgency of the need for bold leadership for our sector. A key lesson has been to embrace my role to speak openly – within my team and the industry as a whole – about how these crises are shaping us and demanding immediate change. Whether it’s contributing to The Drum (hi!) or questioning the norms on a panel, we must be fearless in naming what needs to change. As an agency rooted in social impact, we are compelled to listen carefully, think incrementally, and create boldly – because the stakes demand nothing less. This is the time for our sector to act with clarity, courage and vision.
