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27 NOVEMBER 2025
I was lucky enough to be at the recent Prolific North ‘From Growth to Gold’ summit in Leeds. It was fantastic, not the usual conference fluff, but a very frank discussion among Northern agency leaders (expertly chaired by Richard Gregory of Agency NXD) on the stuff that keeps us marketers up at night: AI, M&A, and the future of our partnerships.
I walked away feeling seriously provoked and inspired to rethink a few things as a marketer:
The AI wave is here: time to move from Talking to Doing
Okay, yes AI, of course. This was one of the key topics and I'm interested to know the take from agencies. And frankly, I was shaken by the timelines. Jonathan Summers from Twisted Loop laid it out: we’re "conservatively 18 to 24 months away from 10x productivity," and soon, he predicts, "The cost of thought is now tending to almost zero." Yikes!
His firm’s survey of agency professionals showed a real gap between optimism and action:
- Around 90% of agency professionals say they’re using AI.
- But, a massive only 2% feel prepared for what’s coming next.
- 83% haven’t built any bespoke tooling inside their organisations.
We have been talking about AI for over a year, and the development won't stop but keep evolving. If your agency feels they might be falling behind, it’s time to get your operational blueprint ready, as the industry (both brands and agencies) needs leaders to catch up.
Connective3 CEO, Tim Grice, shared that he was "sceptical about AI as recently as 12 months ago," but is now "fully converted." He demonstrated commitment by investing over £250,000 and building a dedicated five-person innovation team (including prompt engineers, full-stack developers, and data scientists).
This shift has a massive implication: Technical auditing and process-heavy work are now being commoditised. As Tim put it, what clients are really willing to pay for is strategy, prioritisation and creative thinking. This confirms we need to be partnering for expertise, not just for volume of output.
M&A & the search for uniqueness
Ever wonder what makes an agency look great to an investor? Ben Taylor, a partner at KPMG, confirmed that while marketing budgets are stabilising, deal flow in the M&A space is down around 20% in marketing and digital services. Buyers are being far more selective.
- The days of just "buy capacity" are over. The new conversation starts with: What makes you unique and different?
This focus on distinctiveness was echoed by Tom Salmon (co-founder of Agency by Agency), who noted that with the number of agencies doubling between 2015 and 2025, the UK is one of the most competitive markets globally. The agencies that perform best are the ones that clearly articulate who they are for, when they are most useful, and how they deliver value. Generic claims about "our people" simply won't cut it anymore!
- Founder Reality Check: Tim Grice was also candid about the exit/investment process, describing it as “exhausting,” distracting, and emotional. His advice for founders: have "no expectations" on timescales or valuations.
The changing agency model: Pressure, Flexibility, and Trust
The discussion around agency commercial models was equally inspiring and shows that innovation isn’t just about tech—it’s about structure:
- Visualsoft CEO Chris Fletcher was super candid about the price pressure in e-commerce, where builds that once commanded £200,000 are now being priced as low as £5,000-£10,000. This forced them to wholesale reset their structure and P&L to stay competitive and transparent.
- Answer Digital's Andrew Durkin shared their successful transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), showing stability and ownership as a powerful model, particularly given their high revenue share from sectors like the NHS.
- Ginny Nicholls (founder of Interim Digital) championed the 'agency-style thinking with freelance flexibility' model, allowing brands to tap into senior specialists without the overhead of a full-time hire—perfect for agility!
Final thoughts: who will be the 'tastemakers'?
The final panel, featuring Tangent CEO Leigh Gammons and NAITIV founder Anthony Diver, really cemented the challenge ahead for talent.
- We're seeing the erosion of entry-level "spreadsheet monkey" work, which Anthony Diver argued will be replaced by new roles like "tastemakers"—people with a strong sense of what 'good' looks like in writing, design, or experience. They'll become the quality control and ethical check on automated output.
- The conversation also raised the need for guardrails, with Leigh Gammons citing a cautionary tale about a gym chatbot that cheerfully "hallucinated" non-existent spa facilities.
I agree! I’m taking this as a green light to push for more courageous, strategic thinking across agency or internal team partnerships. The process is being automated, so we need to ensure our strategy and creative output are based on the highest-value human input.
Read the full post-event article here
Are you already seeing your agencies move away from fixed-fee work towards pure strategy?
Share your thoughts below, or feel free to reach out if you have something to say about this topic. I’d love to hear how you’re gearing up for this 10x productivity future!