Just over four months into the role of 4As CEO, Justin Thomas-Copeland has big plans to reinvent the ad agency trade organization to make it more accessible and resourceful for industry professionals of all levels trying to navigate seemingly endless technological changes and disruption.
“We know we’re in cruise control,” said Thomas-Copeland. “We have to keep working to make sure that we have the services and the interactions that are relevant, where people see the value.”
The changes are expected to be rolled out in phases over the next six months, he said. Members can expect to see more products, personalization, digital content, tools—including some backed by AI—and possibly pricing options, all of which are intended to bring the 4As into a more modern era.
“We’re going to be looking at our digital strategy, our content strategy, our gating strategy,” he said. “People will be discovering the 4As in new places. We’ll be activating off-site, in communities.”
Thomas-Copeland, the former CEO of DDB North America, took the helm at the 4As in May from Marla Kaplowitz, who announced in July 2024 that she would be stepping down to pursue advisory and corporate board work.
The changes coming to the 4As are not a knock on the way things were done in the past, Thomas-Copeland said, but something he sees as necessary to keep the organization, now 108 years old, relevant amid massive disruption brought on by various factors, including AI.
