3 shifts reshaping agencies and what it means for account management
While you're focused on delivering flawless work for clients today, it’s important to keep one eye on where the industry is heading in the future – and spend some time thinking about what you can do to stay ahead in your agency account management role.
There are three shifts reshaping how agencies create value, how leaders run their businesses and how account managers retain and grow client relationships:
1) AI is democratising knowledge
What’s changing
Clients now have access to the same AI tools we do. They can run research, generate strategies, produce content and analyse performance – quickly and cheaply. Sam Altman at OpenAI calls this “intelligence too cheap to meter” (Fortune).
Impact on agencies and account management
Execution alone is no longer a differentiator so agencies need to focus on showing commercial impact (agree value metrics at the start, always provide proof of value, run Quarterly Business Reviews, and bring future-focussed ideas). Pricing is changing as a result of AI and is a hot topic for agencies right now as many evolve from ‘inputs’ (hours) to ‘outputs’ and ‘outcomes’. Caroline Johnson at The Business Model Company advises agencies to revisit how they create, deliver and capture value. I spoke to Tina Fegent, marketing procurement expert, about how clients evaluate agency value, the conversation you need to have about AI and how one agency persuaded her to accept output pricing instead of hourly rates. Listen to the conversation here. Don’t forget you can take my AI Readiness Quiz if you’re not sure where to start with AI integration in account management.
2) Tech platforms are redefining the agency model
What’s changing
Scaling with headcount is no longer enough. Investors are looking for agencies with scalable solutions, IP, built-in AI automation and platforms. Foundation Capital calls this shift “Service-as-Software”: solutions that don’t just support delivery – they do the delivery. In Q2 2025, 30% of all marketing-services M&A deals were tech-led, up from 21% last year (Moore Kingston Smith).
Examples:
WPP is building its Open Intelligence platform.
Green Hat partners with 6sense to run AI-driven account journeys.
Matrix Marketing Group offers autonomous marketing solutions for B2B clients.
Interdependence PR uses its InterviewedⓇ platform to predict and pitch at scale.
Impact on agencies and account management
Agencies who want to grow and exit (and earn higher multiples) need to think about how tech-enabled solutions fit into their model. From an account management perspective, start conversations with your leadership team about AI’s role – not just in automating tasks but in creating new value for clients. Build case studies that show ROI, ask clients how they’re using AI, and agree an AI vision and roadmap for your agency. It doesn’t need to be perfect – it should evolve as you learn.
3) Projectisation is replacing long-term relationships
What’s changing
Clients are moving away from retainers to faster, outcome-focused projects, helped by automation and self-serve tools. McCann’s CEO even suggested account managers will “evolve” into project managers – a comment that caused plenty of debate.
Impact on agencies and account management
Margins are tighter and churn risk is higher when you only sell projects so if you have retainers, ensure you're holding on to them and delivering great value and consistently checking in with clients on progress. Also, I'm sure you're doing this for your retainer relationships, but get involved in their annual planning process (September is usually the hot month for this).With project-only based work, every project feels like an audition for the next. So for agencies with a less predictable project by project basis relationship, offer smaller proof-of-concept projects or diagnostics as a lower-risk entry point. Think about flexible pricing options (e.g. spreading project costs monthly). For account managers, set success metrics upfront, schedule a post-project review in advance, and always bring examples of what other clients did next. You might say towards the end of a project something like: “Typically after we’ve finished the website build, other clients ask about traffic-driving strategies. Would it be useful if I shared some examples of what’s working – and what’s no longer relevant?”
Final thought
Agencies that start adapting now will be harder to replace later – and given that 66% of business leaders wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills (Future of Work report, Microsoft/LinkedIn 2024) it’s important to keep testing AI for new use cases that help you deliver faster and more efficiently for clients.
