4As
Look Ahead 2026

As Forrester describes, some agencies are evolving into enterprise platforms, owning technology, products and data, and delivering outcomes through proprietary systems and automation. There is also the emergence of agencies being resellers of marketing solutions. These agencies operate more like product companies; they have fluid operating modes blending creativity and code to drive measurable results.

Others, as industry observers point out, are doubling down on strategic partnerships and creative business solutions, where AI and in-housing take on executional work, and agencies create value through ideas, insight and the human perspective that technology can’t replicate.

Neither vision is right or wrong. Both are real and both are accelerating. Many agencies will lean toward one future or the other, depending on factors such as scale, capital access, talent mix and client needs.

But there is also a middle path. A path which is growing in importance and scale. A path that many an independent and new agency models are vying to make their own. And technology is enabling this to happen at speed and at scale.

The Venn diagram below indicates where technology and creativity overlap—agencies as tech-enabled strategic partners. These are organizations that fuse data-informed creativity with consultative problem-solving, using AI to enhance, not replace, human imagination. Success is measured in outcomes, but driven by insight and originality.

In speaking with agency heads at all points of the size and ownership spectrum we see a shift in agencies sharpening and clarifying their specialties so they are clear on where they compete and can offer clients unique value. They build ecosystems which offer them flexibility and the ability to navigate this new future – from workflow, to content production platforms, to data and analytics stacks, to defining their AI tool stack. And they also form partnerships with other specialists—connecting using AI—to scale seamlessly around client opportunity.

We would be remiss not to mention talent and its importance in any model.

While there are predictions of further staff reductions across our industry, there is a growing understanding of the need to recast roles within agencies as well as deploy new team formations.

Agencies will need to relearn the rules of attracting, upskilling and retaining the best talent. And rewriting processes where humans and machines work together.

And team formations will evolve. Data and creative will partner more closely,  workflow and strategy will define strategy and execution routes together, and integrated analytics will bring a new accountability to creators, who will have deeper partnerships with agencies.

All said, 2026 is set to be a pivotal year for our industry. Agencies will continue to re-architect their models, addressing technology, structure, talent and compensation, all while preparing for what’s next.

Those who lean into the changing landscape and redefine themselves in the image of the models above—possibly even mixing elements from all three—combining operational precision with strategic depth, will be the most valued by their clients and also provide their people with a stimulating environment in which to grow and thrive.

At the 4As, our role is to help illuminate that path. We’ll continue to provide the insights, guidance and community that empower agencies to lead the future, together.