Artificial intelligence (AI) I can do the research. It can write the brief. It can even mock-up an ad. So, it’s probably past time that we in the industry ask ourselves the inevitable existential question:
Do brands still NEED agencies?
It’s a fair question—and one that every agency should probably be thinking about right now. Or yesterday, if you have a time machine.
Tools like ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Perplexity and countless others have made strategic thinking and creative execution more accessible to more people than ever. We can debate whether or not this is a good thing, but that would be missing the point. The AI revolution is well underway. Things are already changing. The point now is how we manage it.
What’s the Value of an Ad Agency in an AI World?
Consider this: A marketing manager (or their tech-savvy intern) can now crank out positioning statements, email copy and banner ad concepts before lunch. Theoretically, they no longer need to rely on a scope of work with an ad agency or commit thousands of dollars and weeks of time to developing foundational brand assets and creative ad units. The key word here, of course, is theoretically.
The writing is certainly on the proverbial wall, we’re just not quite sure what it says yet. And that’s okay—there’s still time to sort things out. So, though now may feel like a good time to panic, that temptation may be premature. Because the value of an agency isn’t just in the work we make. It’s also, in large part, in the experience, judgment, direction, guidance and leadership we provide.
Now, more than ever, our value is in the unique perspective(s) we possess as living, breathing and feeling human beings who can add the kind of invaluable value that machines simply can’t. Let’s unpack.
Yes, AI may be empowering brand managers to do more of the thinking, planning, and doing. But humans remain vital throughout this process—ensuring the “thinking” is sound, the “planning” is viable, and the “doing” is strategically aligned with the brand’s standards and the company’s business goals.
There’s no question: AI has been giving us all a big head start. But humans must still make the important decisions, commitments and investments that move work forward. There’s no autopilot. No cruise control. No “easy” button.” Humans still have to align the right resources and review the work in progress. Humans still have to make it all actually happen. And this is important because humans have to live with the results, whatever they are.
In other words, good luck throwing AI under the bus when your campaign goes south. You’d be better served having an agency partner to take accountability for that work. If you can find an agency willing to take accountability, that is.
No, the value of an agency isn’t just in the work we make. It’s in the critical thinking we bring, the judgment we exercise, the experience we lean into, and the decision-making skills we’ve honed over decades of doing this.
In short, a big part of the value we provide is in the guidance we offer in a world where AI can do almost anything—but doesn’t know why it’s doing it and is still learning how.
The Temptation to Go It Alone is Real
So, yes, of course ad agency people are going tell you that we still have value. But those nagging questions will persist. Why wait weeks for a creative brief when AI can generate 10 ideas in 10 minutes? Why pay for strategy when a few prompts can yield a solid-sounding messaging platform? Why pay for an agency at all?
It’s a seductive line of thinking. And one that’s fueling the idea that agencies are becoming optional in a world where speed and output are available on demand. There’s no shortage of studies you can reference regarding the integration of AI in marketing. Salesforce, Forrester, McKinsey, SurveyMonkey and others have all published findings that tell a clear story. I would suggest you “Google them,” but that’s so 2024. ChatGPT them if you like and read up.
Here are a few highlights:
AI is already widespread.
Nearly 3 out of 4 marketers have either adopted or are planning to adopt generative AI.
Quality and trust challenges remain.
Over half of users raise accuracy and bias concerns, signaling the critical need for human review.
Governance is a concern.
80% of brands worry about legal, ethical and reputational risks tied to agency AI use.
Agency adoption is high.
91% of U.S. agencies are already leveraging generative AI, signaling both opportunity and responsibility.
Adoption rates and integration are only going to climb, leading some to the conclusion, perhaps, that an agency is unnecessary. And yet with so much uncertainty still, and the questions that remain regarding its use, it may be worth considering that the opposite may be true.
Brands may, in fact, NEED agencies now more than ever. As tempting as it may be, now is not the time to abandon the pros and go it alone.
Fast Doesn’t Equal Right
Here’s the thing: AI can generate a lot of content. Quickly. But it can’t tell you whether it’s good or right. I can personally attest to this, as ChatGPT frequently tries to convince me that a horrible idea is a good one. Until I explain in a prompt why something is actually not a brilliant idea, and then it agrees with me wholeheartedly. Until, that is, I change my mind again and explain why it’s a great idea after all. At which point it agrees with me again. Wishy-washy doesn’t even begin to describe it.
To further color this in, a client of ours recently engaged us on a project to help craft some language. It was a tricky assignment where they wanted to capture the essence of two important messages in a single, succinct phrase. Perfect for one of our seasoned copywriters. Or for AI, if you’re an ambitious marketing manager.
As part of the client’s briefing, they sent over their ChatGPT conversation so we could see how their initial attempts had stalled. Yes, they admitted their plan was to try and do it themselves first. Fortunately, they were discerning enough to recognize that what they were getting was not very good. Kudos to them, as not all clients are so discriminating.
Yes, AI is great at generating a lot of thinking quickly. But is any of it any good?
Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game
To be fair, it’s not the machine’s fault when it produces sub-par work. It’s programmed to do what it’s told. If you ask it for 50 taglines, it will give you 50 taglines. If you ask it for 5,000 taglines, it won’t tell you to go fly a kite like a seasoned writer might. It will give you 5000 taglines. And if you tell it that you like one of the taglines, it will praise your taste and sound judgment, offering a remarkably convincing rationale for why your choice is a good one. It will do this for all 5000 lines if you so desire.
And it’s tempting to take the machine’s recommended output as gospel because, well, it sure does feel good to be validated, doesn’t it? And the machine asserts it all with such supreme confidence! Yet the fact remains: an experienced human who’s been working in marketing for a long time has the sensibilities, intuition, and gut instincts that a machine simply cannot replicate. For those who appreciate the appreciable difference between ‘good’ and ‘good enough,’ there remains a lot of value in that.
Who’s the Ultimate Arbiter of Good Judgment?
I won’t lie. It does feel comforting that the machine will offer me an “informed” opinion on the work if I ask it for one. But a human is still a better judge of whether the work is right for your audience, right for your brand, right for your legal department, your media strategy, your stakeholder politics, or your CMO’s risk tolerance.
In a Salesforce study, over 50% of marketers reported concerns about AI content accuracy, and 41% worried about brand misalignment. In a Forrester study, 80% of enterprise brands reported legal and reputational concerns with generative AI. All good reasons to keep your agency relationship in good standing for the time being.
Just because AI can produce something doesn’t mean that’s the best way to produce something.
In fact, when it comes to advertising and marketing, it’s typically not the best way. Why? Because AI doesn’t know context. It doesn’t know nuance. It doesn’t know how to say, “This may be clever, but it won’t land with our customers.” It doesn’t know that your brand can’t afford to sound like a knockoff. Or that your legal team has a five-page compliance checklist. Or that your CEO hates puns. It’s the human minutiae it misses, no matter how detailed your prompt.
AI can mimic creativity. But it can’t own it.
It can simulate empathy. But it can’t feel it.
It can provide endless possibilities. But it can’t provide effective judgment.
This is where an experienced agency partner comes in.
Agencies as Sherpas in the Age of AI
Here’s how I’ve been thinking about it. Imagine your agency is a dependable sherpa on your journey upward. Sure, you could TRY to reach that peak on your own. But experienced climbers—and experienced marketers—know that the best way forward isn’t just about having the best plan or the best gear. It’s also about having the best people to support you.
That’s certainly a big part of the value of having an agency today. We’re trusted guides on your journey into the unknown. We’ve navigated the ascent. We’ve been to the top. We’re acclimated to the pressure. So while AI can help you, so can we.
The AI Think Tank at Motion convenes on this topic regularly. We’re not flustered by AI—we’re working to become more fluent in it. And the goal isn’t just to use the tools—it’s to understand them. To identify which outputs are promising and which ones are hollow. To know when something’s legally risky, strategically flimsy, or emotionally tone-deaf. To know when to push further, and when to stop before a shortcut becomes a cliff.
This kind of guidance can be critical because AI doesn’t carry any accountability at all for what it produces and recommends. We do. AI doesn’t know your brand inside and out. It knows only what you have on your website, on Wikipedia, or what’s been said of you in online forums. We make it our business to really know you. Unlike AI, we’re not tools. We’re trained, human professionals who know how to wield the tools to build something great. Reliable sherpas in your quest to make summit.
The Role of Stewardship and Strategy
We’ve been carefully integrating AI into our workflows to move faster and smarter—but never at the expense of creative integrity. And never without asking: “Is this the best way to solve this problem?”
Because that’s the job now. Not resisting AI. Not outsourcing everything to it. But curating, refining, enhancing—and yes, sometimes rejecting—what it gives us.
As stewards of your brand, we need to:
- Ensure content aligns with your values, voice, and objectives
- Protect you from legal, ethical, and reputational missteps
- Bring integrated thinking that considers how ideas connect across channels and audiences
- Offer real-world insights, not just artificial ones
And perhaps most importantly, by using AI to handle the rote, mundane, and mechanical tasks—the templated emails, the placeholder headlines, the internal decks—we free up our teams to focus on the work that truly matters. The deep thinking. Insight mining. Opportunity hunting. Dot connecting. News jacking. Trend jumping.
The intellectual work. The strategic work. The creative work that differentiates your brand, connects emotionally with people, repositions you as your customers’ needs change, and keeps you ahead of cultural shifts.
When we’re not bogged down in busywork, we can deliver the value you hired us for in the first place. And in a landscape where anyone can prompt their way to something good enough, we still believe in the power of pushing for something great.
Built For the Climb
An AI revolution isn’t on the horizon—it’s already here. The tools are smarter, faster, and more accessible than ever. But that doesn’t mean the agency relationship is obsolete.
While it’s true that, in this new landscape, anyone can generate output, very few can generate outcomes. Which is where an integrated agency partner can remain your best bet.
Motion isn’t just keeping up with AI—we’re committed to making it work smarter and safer on behalf of our clients. By letting automation handle the busywork, we’re freeing up our teams to focus on what matters most: the breakthrough thinking, the strategic insights, and the emotional connections that ultimately set brands apart.
Lastly, while we’re all becoming more proficient at using AI, we’re also mindful of when not to use it. The terrain may be changing, but the need for guidance isn’t. As your sherpas on this epic journey into the future, we see it as our job to…
- Carry the weight that would otherwise slow you down
- Choose the right tools at the right time
- Read the signs along the trail as conditions can change
- Get you to the summit—faster, stronger, safer, and smarter
We’ll get you where you’re going. As “promptly” as you like.
