Everywhere I look this weekend I am reading the same headline: ‘Agency shareholder value is wobbling because of AI.’
Despite great quarterly performance, Automation is still coming.
Headcount is still framed as risk. And the agency model is being challenged.
So the conclusion follows neatly: AI is eroding agency value.
I don’t think that’s quite right. In fact, I think it’s a bit of a red herring.
Because when I look at how I actually behave as a client, sure AI has changed things and has disrupted what I see as ‘worth paying more for’ from an agency perspective.
But it hasn’t replaced why I want or need to work with them in the first place.
And it starts even before I have a brief
There are a small group of brilliant agency contacts I stay in touch with even when there isn’t a live project on the table.
And aside from just keeping in touch on various life events, I call them to:
- sense-check a decision
- talk through a messy problem
- ask a “what would you do?” question
Often there’s no scope and no budget.
And they know I’m not calling them to ask them to pitch.
I am calling them because I value their opinion, their advice, their own unique perspective on things.
And you might sit there and think, well that’s taking the piss. Surely you should be paying for this time? Having been an agency person myself, I am sure I would have thought exactly that too at one point or another.
But the reality is this works for us both because, when I do have a project?
They are always the first people I call to do that project. Not pitch. Not to put into some sort of beauty parade. But to do the work because I know they already get it.
That behaviour isn’t accidental. And it’s not forced.
It’s genuine trust built over time.
This is where the AI panic misses the point
AI will absolutely change how work gets made. It will compress timelines and it will lower the cost of output. You simply can’t charge several days for writing timelines or calendar of activity any more.
But it doesn’t change where true value lies.
When the stakes are high and the answer isn’t obvious, clients reach for people they trust, not platforms.
You can’t pick up the phone to AI, you can’t ask it to have your back in the boardroom.
And you can’t share that ‘feeling’ with it when you’ve created something incredible together.
That genuine human layer is the real differentiator. And it always has been.
The truth is relationships are your brand
Everyone in agency land has seen the ‘Long and short of it’ chart. Every client has had it shown to them in at least one presentation… this week probably.
So we should all know that:
- brands aren’t built in one off campaigns
- consistent brand investment pays off over time
- the strongest brands are the ones you return to without thinking
And in my view, the best agency relationships work exactly the same way.
They are forged with every generous conversation.
They are honed with every honest “we’re not right for this.”
They are strengthened with every moment of advice given without a price tag attached.
That is brand building. It’s the reason something then become ‘worth paying more for’.
And just like brand, this type of time investment is the first thing cut when pressure mounts or budgets tighten — despite being the thing that drives long-term growth.
The So What…
It might sound like I am advocating for agencies to suddenly go out in the world and offer a load of free advice in order to keep clients happy. I’m not. Neither am I advocating for more ‘man marking’ from business development people.
What I am saying is that in a world that is obsessed with finding places to cut time/investment and people in agency structures, make sure you are looking at it through the eyes of the client.
Sure it might make the biggest financial gain to cut that super well paid Strat Director off the payroll because you can ChatGPT brand frameworks these days. But are they the person that the client is ‘always on the phone to’?
The real question is not:
“How do we protect ourselves from AI?”
It is:
“Who would our clients still call if there was no brief, no budget, and no immediate upside?”
Those people are your brand so invest in them.
Give them time to think, not just deliver.
Let them build relationships that aren’t tracked in a CRM.
Because in a world where output is cheap and instant, having the clients trusted confidante on your team might just be the reason they keep coming back for more.
The So What... 
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