As AI makes marketing execution faster and more accessible, agencies can create greater value by connecting strategy, technology, creativity, and media to each client’s goals. That shift—from doing more tasks to helping clients make better decisions—is changing what brands need from their agency partners.

At ADVANCE 2026, agency leaders from Accenture Song, Horizon Media, Wpromote, and WPP Media joined Smartly CEO Laura Desmond for a conversation about what clients will value as AI changes the economics of marketing. 

One question ran through the discussion: when more teams have access to similar technology, how does an agency stay relevant? The answer was less about owning the tools and more about helping clients use them well. 

The next agency advantage is systems thinking

When individual tools become more widely available, the advantage comes from understanding how they work together—and how that system supports a client’s business.

That means helping clients make sense of an open ecosystem: which platforms fit their needs, how those platforms connect, and where workflows or handoffs create friction. The goal isn’t to add technology for its own sake. It’s to bring the right capabilities together around the outcome the client needs.

Systems thinkers look at platforms end-to-end and restructure based on the outcome, not just the process. That perspective helps agencies connect areas that have often operated separately, including media, commerce, creative, and production.

Guide clients through change

Choosing a tool is one decision, but helping an organization change how it works is a much bigger one.

Agencies can help clients understand what new technology makes possible, where it fits into existing workflows, and what people need to learn to use it effectively. That starts with the work itself: identifying repetitive tasks, delays, and handoffs before introducing new systems.

This kind of guidance also requires understanding the client’s people, priorities, and constraints. A workflow that works for one organization may not work for another. Agencies bring value when they can help teams adapt technology to the way their business actually operates, while keeping human expertise in the process.

Tie the work to outcomes

Clients want to understand how their investments support growth. That makes clear goals, transparent measurement, and shared accountability central to the partnership.

When agencies and clients agree on the outcomes they’re working toward, they can make better decisions about which tools to use, what to measure, and what to change. This shared focus can move conversations beyond the volume of work delivered to the impact it creates.

For agencies, that shift calls for business models and ways of working that support a more collaborative relationship. For clients, transparency helps make the partnership easier to evaluate and trust. Both sides need a shared view of what success means.

Make the partnership fit the client

There is no single operating model that will suit every client. Businesses have different goals, teams, processes, and customer expectations. Agencies need to bring systems-level thinking without flattening those differences into a standard solution.

That takes people who can interpret the situation, connect the right expertise, and make sound judgments about where technology can help. The agency’s role goes beyond simply implementing a process. Instead, they need to help the client decide which process makes sense—and how to evolve as the business changes.

This is where execution and strategy meet. Technology can accelerate the work, but people who understand the client’s context ensure the work is relevant.

The agency advantage is helping clients move forward

AI is changing how quickly marketing work can happen. But speed alone does not define a stronger agency-client relationship. The opportunity is to connect tools, teams, and decisions in service of client outcomes and to help organizations navigate the change along the way.

As the discussion at ADVANCE made clear, agencies can stay indispensable by becoming trusted guides: bringing systems thinking, transparency, and client-specific judgment to a more connected marketing landscape.

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