Stop using tomorrow's technology to do yesterday's work

Any recent conversations from agencies today and you'll hear the same story: "We're using artificial intelligence to write copy 50% faster" or "Our media buying is now automated and saves us hours each week." While these efficiency gains sound impressive, I feel they're missing the bigger picture entirely.

The agencies winning tomorrow aren't just doing old things faster; they're doing completely new things that weren't even conceivable five years ago.

The efficiency trap that's holding agencies back

Here's the uncomfortable truth: if your biggest AI victory is writing blog posts in half the time, you're playing in the shallow end of the pool. Every competitor can do that, too. When everyone can produce content faster and buy media more efficiently, speed becomes a commodity and commodities race to the bottom on price.

The agencies stuck in this efficiency mindset are essentially asking: "How can we deliver the same output with fewer people?" It's a defensive strategy that treats AI as a cost-cutting tool rather than what it is, a complete reimagining of what's possible. Netflix didn't use technology to rent DVDs faster than Blockbuster. They used it to create an entirely new way of consuming entertainment. The same principle applies to agency work.

What ‘new things’ actually look like

The most forward-thinking agencies are already demonstrating what transformation means:

Cultural trend forecasting at scale: Instead of just placing ads, some agencies now analyse millions of social conversations, search patterns and cultural signals to predict which trends will emerge six months before they hit mainstream. They're selling foresight, not just hindsight analysis.

Market opportunity discovery: Rather than waiting for clients to brief them on target audiences, innovative agencies are identifying entirely new market segments by analysing behavioural patterns across vast datasets. They're walking into client meetings with opportunities the client didn't even know existed.

Dynamic creative systems: Beyond producing individual campaigns, agencies are building creative systems that generate thousands of personalized variants and learn what resonates with specific micro-audiences in real-time. Each piece of creativity becomes smarter based on every interaction.

Predictive brand strategy: Some agencies now model how brand decisions might play out across multiple scenarios, helping clients make strategic choices based on probable outcomes rather than just gut instinct and past performance.

These aren't slightly better versions of traditional services; they're entirely new capabilities that create value in ways that were impossible before.

The people behind the transformation

This shift demands new roles that didn't exist in traditional agency structures and what we are also trying to add to our structures from day one as we are building ‘Theblurr’.

Data Storytellers who can find compelling narratives buried in complex data sets and translate them into actionable creative strategies.

Algorithmic Strategists who understand how to design systems that get smarter over time, rather than just executing one-off campaigns.

Cultural Signal Analysts who combine human intuition with machine processing power to spot emerging trends and cultural shifts.

Experience Architects who design multi-touchpoint journeys that adapt and evolve based on individual user behaviour patterns.

These roles require a blend of creative thinking, analytical skills and strategic vision, a combination that's rare but incredibly valuable and I feel that in the future this would be the single most important skill for people who want to make a career in agency/marketing environments.

Building for innovation, not just optimisation

The agencies making this transition successfully are restructuring their entire approach:

Experimentation over execution: Instead of organising teams around campaign delivery, they're creating innovation labs where new ideas can be tested quickly and failures are treated as learning opportunities.

Cross-functional collaboration: Breaking down traditional silos between creative, strategy, media and data teams to create hybrid approaches that wouldn't emerge in isolated departments.

Client co-creation: Rather than taking briefs and delivering solutions, they're involving clients in the discovery process, sharing tools and insights that help clients see their business in new ways.

Capability development: Investing in building proprietary tools and methodologies that become competitive advantages, rather than just using off-the-shelf solutions that everyone else has access to.

The strategic question every agency must answer

The fundamental choice facing agencies isn't whether to adopt AI; that decision has already been made by the market. The choice is whether to use it defensively to protect margins or offensively to create new value.

Agencies taking the defensive approach will find themselves competing on price with an ever-growing number of competitors offering similar efficiency gains. Those taking the offensive approach are building moats around capabilities that can't be easily replicated.

The question isn't ‘How can AI make our current services cheaper and faster?’ Instead, ask: ‘What valuable outcomes could we deliver for clients that were impossible before?’

The road ahead

This transformation won't happen overnight, and it won't happen by accident. It requires agencies to think like technology companies in some ways, investing in RGD, building proprietary capabilities and constantly experimenting with new approaches.

The agencies that thrive in the next decade will be those that stopped seeing AI as a tool to do old jobs more efficiently and started seeing it as a way to do jobs that never existed before and deploy it the way we call it HumAIne. AI is augmenting human capability, whether it’s in creative function or media function.

The efficiency gains are just the appetiser. The main course is creating entirely new forms of value that clients didn't even know they needed until they see what becomes possible.

Your competitors are getting faster at the old game. The question is: are you ready to play a completely new one?

This article is penned byGopa Menon, COO & Co-Founder, Theblurr

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.