New Business Activity & Resources Survey 2026

The 4As 2026 New Business Activity and Resources Survey Report contains relevant aggregated new business-related information and benchmarks, based on 2025 data. Respondents in this year’s report skewed highly towards independent agencies (84%).

Highlights

• Relationships continue to play an outsized role in growth.Personal and inbound referrals remain the leading sources of both opportunity volume and effectiveness, reinforcing the importance of trust and reputation.

• Tools are widely adopted, but tend to act as enablers.AI, LinkedIn automation and prospecting databases are commonly used, though they appear to support, rather than replace relationship-driven growth.

• The mix of opportunities is evolving.Project-based work slightly outweighs AOR engagements, suggesting a continued shift toward smaller, more flexible opportunities and the need for agencies to be able to profitably engage with these opportunities.

• Win rates reflect a highly competitive environment.With most agencies reporting win rates below 50%, conversion efficiency and opportunity selection remain important considerations.

• Investment continues to skew toward people.A significant portion of new business investment is allocated to full-time staffing, highlighting the ongoing role of human capital in driving growth.

• Pipeline quality is a central theme.Agencies frequently cite both the need for more opportunities and the challenge of identifying the right opportunities as a primary focus area.

• Differentiation remains a key pressure point.In a crowded and fragmented market, clearly articulating distinct value continues to be a common challenge.

• Agency marketing and visibility are closely tied to growth.Efforts such as thought leadership, PR, content and speaking engagements are often associated with pipeline development and brand recognition.

• Organic growth is broadly distributed across many agenciesResponsibility for growth frequently sits with account leadership and client teams, rather than being centralized solely within business development.

• Pitch process efficiency continues to be a concern.The prevalence of spec work and extended pitch timelines points to ongoing questions around process efficiency and resource allocation.

Ordering Information

The survey report is available as a PDF for purchase by clicking the link below. The cost for 4As agency members that did not participate in the survey is $450.

Participating members receive complimentary access.

Request to Purchase

If you have any questions, require further information, or would like to verify whether your agency participated in the study please contact any one of our Business Intelligence team members: Helen Miranda ([email protected]), Matt Kasindorf ([email protected])

LICENSE TERMS: By participating or purchasing, you agree to the following terms.  The 4As owns all worldwide rights, including all intellectual property rights, in and to this publication and its constituent information.  THIS PUBLICATION IS FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE AND MAY NOT BE COPIED OR DISTRIBUTED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, AND IT MAY NOT BE ADDED TO ANY DATABASE THAT IS ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE YOUR ORGANIZATION, INCLUDING ANY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM.  THIS PUBLICATION MAY NOT BE PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.  CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN A LICENSE THAT PERMITS COPYING AND/OR DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING TO CORPORATE AFFILIATES.  For the avoidance of doubt, you may not share this publication in whole or in part with any corporate affiliate without additional authorization. You may not make any changes, alterations, additions, or edits to this publication, including removal or alteration of any copyright or other legal notices. You may not use this publication or any part of it in a manner that implies any form of endorsement by the 4As. The 4As makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, in relation to this publication. Login credentials to 4As web portal may not be shared within or outside your organization. All rights reserved. All payments are non-refundable.