AI hasn’t just added a new gadget to marketers’ toolkits — it has reshaped the operating model of in-house teams. But CMOs have to remember that AI success requires the right structures, and for some, it has accelerated the need for embedded partners who can manage scale, speed and complexity.
“As new capabilities emerge, like GenAI, agencies often lead in operationalizing them at scale, prompting some work to shift back out,” says Mollie Rosen, president of member experience at the 4As.
That’s where embedded partners like Oliver and Monks come in — not to replace in-house teams, but to bring order, scale and AI-powered systems to increasingly complex global marketing operations, so internal leaders can stay focused on vision, standards and growth.
The embedded model
Positioned as operational and technology partners rather than traditional agencies, they help brands design and run in-house models, navigating legal, data and privacy constraints while providing the infrastructure and executional scale internal teams can’t always shoulder on their own.
