The future is fast and belongs to those who know how to sprint, writes the fleet-footed Sive Buckley, managing partner of the Born Creators group. Can you keep up?
A decade ago, marketing had a rhythm. Campaigns were planned months in advance, media buys were locked in early and agencies had the luxury of time to refine and perfect creative ideas. It was an era of long lunches, big retainers and the annual pilgrimage to Cannes.
Fast forward to today, and that rhythm has been replaced by a relentless sprint. Trends explode overnight, consumer behaviours shift in real time, and brands are expected to react instantly (and rightly so). Yet, many agencies are still operating as if nothing has changed, trapped in outdated processes, endless approval cycles, and structures that simply can’t keep up.
This shift has left brands in a tough position. The traditional agency model, once the gold standard for brand building, is struggling to keep up. At the same time, newer, independent alternatives offer speed but often lack the depth and scale businesses need to execute effectively.
The result? Brands are left with a choice between two imperfect solutions, neither of which are built for the realities of modern marketing.
The traditional model was designed for a different time, when brands had the luxury of long lead times and carefully staged campaign rollouts. But today, marketing moves at the speed of culture. Consumer expectations shift in real time, and brands need to respond just as fast. Agencies that are bogged down by layers of hierarchy, outdated processes, and slow approvals are simply not built for the pace of today’s world.
At the same time, independent consultants and agencies have become an attractive alternative, promising flexibility, specialisation, and speed. They offer a way out of the old model, but often at the cost of cohesion. Brands that rely on a patchwork of independent specialists frequently find themselves managing a disjointed “agency village,” where strategy sits in one place and execution in another. Without deep integration, marketing efforts become fragmented, reactive, and disconnected from real business objectives.
But this isn’t a question of big versus small, legacy versus new. The next era of marketing won’t be defined by choosing between traditional agencies and independents. It will be shaped by a new way of working, one that blends the best of both worlds.
That means moving away from rigid structures and embracing an agile, integrated, and impact-driven approach. The best agencies won’t get bogged down in layers of sign off or drawn out approval chains. They’ll work in real time, adjusting strategies as conditions change, eliminating inefficiencies, and helping brands move at the speed of the change.
But, just as importantly, they’ll put ego aside. It won’t matter where or from who an idea comes from, only that it’s strong, executable, and delivers results.
Equally as critical is integration. Strategy, creativity, media, and execution can no longer exist in silos. The best agencies will be structured around cross-functional teams, where strategists, creatives, and specialists work side by side, ensuring every idea is designed with execution in mind from the get go. Marketing can’t be a relay race where work is handed off from one team to another, it needs to be connected from the start.
And above all, marketing must be judged on impact. The agencies that thrive won’t be the ones with the biggest client rosters or the most awards, they’ll be the ones that drive measurable business results. Whether it’s brand growth, revenue impact, or customer engagement, success will be defined by outcomes, not outputs.
This isn’t just about changing how agencies operate, it’s about changing how they think.
A decade ago, brands had time to plan, tweak, and perfect. Agencies could operate at a measured pace, knowing that marketing was a long game. But today, there is no waiting, there is only momentum. The brands that win aren’t the ones that spend months crafting the perfect campaign. They’re the ones that act first, adapt fast, and execute flawlessly.
The old agency model isn’t just outdated, it’s obsolete. The question isn’t whether it still works; it’s clear that it doesn’t. The real question is: what comes next? Because the future of marketing isn’t about choosing between agility and scale, it’s about building a model that delivers both.
The days of marketing as a marathon are over. The future belongs to those who know how to sprint.
