Agencies and clients spent most of last year debating 'in-housing'. They missed the real problem: competence. Everyone optimized for speed and efficiency, but few asked if the systems driving that speed were making smarter decisions.
Speed is only useful when the thinking underneath it is strong. Otherwise, companies merely accelerate flawed processes. The real question is not where the work gets done, but how well it gets done. This overemphasis on process, rather than results, often generates superficial output.
This competence gap explains why so many brands feel over-optimized for output and under-invested in impact. Producing more content provides no solution if the underlying concept lacks substance. The industry requires substantial outcomes, not just volume. Agencies must reject neutral briefs and endless approval layers.
The industry needs to shift its focus from operational efficiency to strategic sharpness and creative bravery. The safest work is often the most expensive mistake because it fails to earn attention. Neutral creative requires significantly more media spend to perform at the same level as distinctive creative. Creativity is not decoration. It is business leverage.
The real currency is attentive seconds, not impressions alone. Work must stop people, stick in memory, spread through culture, and sell through measurable commercial outcomes.
This proves that distinctive, emotional work creates disproportionate business growth, outperforming transactional messaging.
In categories like financial services, most brands sound interchangeable. Distinction and emotional relevance can make a brand easier to remember and choose. These results come from sharper bets, not just more activity.
AI should improve judgment, not replace creative thinking. It should enhance workflow and speed to insight. AI-powered cultural intelligence tools spot non-obvious segments and emerging patterns. They help brands avoid surface-level trend chasing and identify cultural tensions before they become mainstream. This allows brands to make more culturally relevant work and reduce wasted media spend. AI-assisted creative analysis helps evaluate attention and response potential before assets are deployed. It allows for better pre-flight creative evaluation, identifying stronger signals for effectiveness.
The future of agencies will not be decided by headcount or the ability to offer cheap services. It will be decided by decision-making quality. Agencies must compete on strategic intelligence, cultural fluency, creative bravery, and commercial effectiveness. They must deliver measurable creative judgment, not just opinions. The sector prioritizes rapid execution while often neglecting thoughtful assessment.
The industry keeps rewarding speed, but speed is only useful when the thinking underneath it is strong. The focus must shift from process theatre to genuine impact. Agencies need to lead with strategic courage and commercial clarity, ensuring creativity earns attention before paid media amplifies it.
Stop measuring agency rosters by headcount. Start measuring them by signals owned: attention, cultural resonance, and measurable commercial results.
About the Author
Paulo Salomão is the Founder & CEO of King Ursa, an independent Canadian creative agency. He writes on culture, challenger brand strategy, AI in advertising, and the gap between creative effort and commercial outcome.
Connect with Paulo on LinkedIn.
