AI, creativity and media agencies
As I write this article in the last few days of December, it is interesting to note that there is talk of a tech bubble burst – this talk first started about two months ago - and certainly focused on the investment that tech companies are making in Artificial Intelligence AI.
19 Jan 2026
Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) and partner in Scopen Africa shares some thoughts on what might occupy our minds in 2026 (Image supplied)
It will be interesting to see if this bubble grows or subsides. Either way, it will continue to have an impact on industries globally, in whatever sector.
For this article, I don’t intend to comment or dwell on AI as too much has already been written about something we are still learning about.
I like working with AI tools, for sure, as I know that those tools have to learn from my input as well as the other way around.
Original thinking is the critical success factor in developing our skills and harnessing the power of AI and this is set to become ever more important in the years to come.
We are only at the very beginning of what AI can do and what it can teach us as well as what we can teach it.
Connectedness
Where AI might be more helpful and accelerate successes is in the area of connectedness.
I read a very insightful article recently that talked of the various mergers of advertising and communication agencies globally in recent months within the holding companies, which have also been merging, and this article was very clear that it will be the media agencies who will have a profound impact within marketing itself as the multiple, ever-increasing media fragmentation continues.
Those media agencies will have more and more impact on media choices made by marketers who are probably confounded by the array of choice and yet wanting to make the best choices for their budgets.
And more importantly, those media agencies, through their own data lakes, will be able to enrich the data provided by the platforms like Google, Meta etc in order to make certain that marketers are reaching their target audiences more accurately.
Level of creativity
Having said that, creative agencies will increase in importance because of the level of creativity which will be required in order to not only ensure brand differentiation for marketers, but to innovate in ways that will create new paths for those brands to reach consumers.
Overall, what marketers want from agencies is for a better understanding of the consumers that they are trying to target. This has been highlighted in every edition of Agency Scope since we first produced it here in South Africa 10 years ago.
And what does all of this mean for client agency relationships, new specialist agencies in the marketing ecosystem, and better results?
Marketers will still be seeking those agencies that can deliver, whether it is fully integrated creative, media, brand and social or a series of specialist agencies.
Those choices will largely depend on the competence within the client marketing department, the available budget and the experience of specialism or integration to date.
We will continue to see great variances in how agencies are appointed and retained.
Real business partners
Agencies that will grow in importance and strength will be those that are real business partners to their clients.
Clients are not necessarily only looking for great campaigns – although of course, those are important.
They are looking for agencies that will partner with them to ensure that marketing is taken as seriously as it needs to be in order to drive the growth for business and the brands that the business represents.
This will require closer discussion, more trust and less dependence on tools to prove return on investment although of course those tools will play a role.
The closer an agency client can be, the more honest and, at times, confrontational, the better the ultimate relationship and results for the brands and businesses concerned.
Focus on budget
Will there still be a focus on budget? Yes of course. But the focus will be on how that budget needs to be spent as opposed to the limitations of that budget.
And in a world where media is fragmented but very much connected, creativity at a deep level will certainly enable brands to continue to differentiate from their competitors and any new competitors that may enter the market.
About Johanna McDowell
MD of the Independent Agency Search and Selection Company (IAS), and partner in Scopen Africa, with a background that includes being on both the agency and the client side of the fence, Johanna McDowell is well-placed to offer commentary on marketing and advertising in the South African and international contexts. She built her career in marketing and advertising since 1974, holding directorship in both SA and British advertising agencies. She was MD of Grey Phillips Advertising in 1988.
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