The last 24 months have been challenging for the agency marketplace, with depressed tech spending in the US and global dragging of agency performance. In particular, the start-stop nature of existing or newly awarded brand assignments was a source of financial frustration.
Yet 2025 shows signs of optimism, including a strong US economy, agency M&A activity, a resurgence of brand spending, and a growing independent agency market. Combine these factors with the marketing agency industry’s continued efforts to unwind legacy systems and structures — redefining the holding company role, redeploying digital capabilities, combining commerce and media, and separating creative ideation from creative production — and 2025 promises to bring new agency offerings and types to address marketers’ continued remit to do more with less.
(Forbes)