#independent-agencies

#independent-agencies

Agencyland has long been thought of as a two-tier system. Over here, you have your 'networks,' typified by giant global holding companies such as WPP and its myriad sub-brands. And over there, you have 'independents' (the very best of which you'll find in our Indie Agency 100 list): shops with no links to those networks, owned by themselves or their founders and calling their own shots.

Generative AI tools promise enormous economies of scale for small creative agency teams. Good news for independent agencies struggling to find some breathing room on the ever-squeezed bottom line - until clients begin expecting those savings to be passed along to them.

People keep telling me that big agencies are the future—that you need massive scale, deep pockets, and cutting-edge tech to survive.

"For some people at holdcos, the constant grind of managing margins - weekly, monthly, quarterly - on work that's increasingly driven by procurement just isn't worth the stress anymore."