Remuneration: What's At Stake? - 4As

Agency of the
Future is Agile

Misguided AI Value

Measuring AI solely by efficiency and cost reduction overlooks its potential for driving effectiveness, innovation and growth.

Commercializing New Value

Agencies are already experimenting with and/or evolving new ways to price their changing capabilities. They’re not alone. Across professional services, consulting, legal and accounting firms are also moving beyond traditional time-based models—testing fixed, subscription, hybrid and asset-based approaches that better reflect the expertise and value being delivered. (See examples below)

Accountability vs. Risk

Incentive compensation requires shared KPIs and sufficient influence; without them, agencies assume unmanaged financial risk.

Demonstrating Value Over Cost

Without better ways to articulate expertise and impact, commercial conversations will continue defaulting to easily measurable inputs like hours and FTEs.

From Monks' subscription model to WPP's outcome-based remuneration with JLR and Superside's subscription-based creative services, agencies are already testing new ways to commercialize their value.

Agency	What has actually changed	Model
Monks / S4 Capital	Monks is actively building a subscription model that sells ongoing access to senior talent, AI workflows, agents and institutional knowledge for a recurring fee rather than selling hours. It expected about 25% of Monks revenue to come from subscriptions by the end of 2026. (Digiday)	Subscription
WPP / JLR	Their new global relationship announced in May 2026 uses what WPP explicitly calls an “outcome-based remuneration structure” that aligns WPP's success with JLR's growth. (WPP.com)	Outcome-based / hybrid
Superside	Superside sells creative services through annual subscriptions. Its current model includes flexible monthly budgets, dedicated creative teams, software/platform access and fixed-scope project options rather than a conventional agency hourly structure. Its subscriptions currently start at $15,000/month. (Superside)	Subscription + fixed project
AgencyChange	This agency says that after using hourly, value-based and flat-fee models, it now operates on deliverable-based pricing, adapted from a SaaS-style metering approach. (AgencyChange)	Output/deliverable-based

What We’re Hearing from Members

“We're being asked to deliver the benefits of AI, but the conversation quickly becomes about efficiency and cost.”
"We want to move beyond hours, but clients and procurement still need something they can measure and compare.”
"We're open to incentive compensation—but not for outcomes we can't see, measure or control.”
"We all need to be rowing in the same direction."
- Robin Shapiro, Way Better Partners | 4As Expert Network(opens in new tab)