Burying the myth of the outdated ad agency

Advertising is not dead and neither is the ad agency, argues Clemenger’s Lee Leggett.

Lee Leggett is the chief executive officer of Clemenger

Few industries love declaring their own death quite like advertising. Every year brings a new obituary: creativity is dead, agencies are over, consultancies have won, AI will replace us all.

But what’s actually dying isn’t advertising, or even the idea of the agency model. It’s a way of thinking that no longer serves marketers or the businesses they support. The myth of the outdated ad agency is what’s being buried. And that’s a good thing.

The shift is being driven by something bigger than agency ambition. It’s being driven by consumers. Today’s customer journey is more fragmented, dynamic and expectation-heavy than ever. It demands speed, cohesion and creative thinking that cuts through. Marketers are responding in kind, with Forrester reporting that nearly a third of CMOs at large organisations intend to consolidate agency services to increase impact.

But it’s not about structure. It’s mindset. Agencies aren’t selling campaigns anymore. They are solving business problems, building brand ecosystems, and moving further upstream in client conversations.

The old model - creative here, media there, digital over the fence - no longer fits how clients operate. Marketers don’t have the time, budget or appetite to wrangle a dozen partners into coherence. They want integration, not complexity. Collaboration, not turf wars. Capability, not empire.

That is why the most progressive agencies are re-engineering around big ideas and fluid delivery, not titles and departments. They are embedding technology, media and data into creative processes. They are embracing scale not as a burden but as an advantage.

Of course, this shift is not without growing pains. Rewiring a legacy business is hard. But it is also necessary. Because the clients who matter, those shaping culture, building modern brands and chasing market-making growth, are not looking for yesterday’s agency. They want one that can do more, faster, with fewer handovers and greater impact.

At Clemenger BBDO, we brought together three strong agencies, Clemenger, CHEP and Traffik, into a single integrated business. The world doesn’t need another fragmented supplier. It needs a strategic, creative partner that can span the full customer experience and still deliver world-class ideas. And we’re not alone. Across the industry, agencies of all shapes and sizes are adapting.

They are rethinking structures, merging capabilities and aligning around modern client needs. They are focusing on the quality of thinking, the strength of the ideas and the ability to deliver them at speed. Because that’s what matters.

Simply, this is the new agency model. Full-service without the fluff. Strategic without the silos.

The ones who will thrive won’t be the loudest or leanest. They will be the ones who know what they stand for and how to adapt without losing their creative soul.

Because creativity isn’t garnish. It’s growth. It’s how brands stand out, build connection and drive impact. The agency of the future won’t look like it ever has before. And that’s the best part.

So, let’s stop mourning what was. And start building what’s next.

Lee Leggett is the CEO of Clemenger BBDO