Are We Cutting Into Creativity?
As generative AI makes execution fast, cheap and abundant, value is shifting from producing the work to originating it — the strategic thinking, judgment and framing machines still can't do, whether that's a campaign idea, a media plan or an investment strategy. But the same AI tools that were supposed to free up time for bigger thinking are instead being used to hit the same margin targets with fewer staff.
The Uncomfortable Question
Could a competitor's AI tool have produced your last campaign? If the honest answer is yes, what are you actually charging for?
How Did We Get Here?
As execution becomes increasingly abundant, the value of the work shifts from what agencies produce to how they think.
At the same time, the concept of creativity itself has expanded. Today's growth-driving ideas may be expressed as advertising, experiences, creator content, product or service innovations, or platforms. The value lies in the thinking, not the format or the specific deliverable.
Strategic and creative risk has become a cost-center decision rather than a growth strategy. The ambition budget got cut along with the headcount. Having optimized so hard for speed and efficiency, agencies now can't explain why a client should pay a premium for thinking a prompt or an algorithm can approximate.
Have questions?
Want to explore more on The Work?
Contact:
Mollie Rosen
President, Member Solutions, 4As
[email protected]
Explore the Other Fault Lines
See where else agency value is breaking down and what it means for you.
Fault line: C-Suite Perception
The CMO has been demoted.
Fault line: Remuneration
Time to retire the old billing model.
Talent
We're eating our own future.
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