The South African industry is at a turning point as marketer-agency relations are reshaped. That’s what is emerging from Agency Scope 2025.
Halfway through its most ambitious research cycle yet, Agency Scope 2025 is already telling a compelling story: marketers are demanding sharper strategies, faster turnarounds and AI capabilities that seem scarce in the market, potentially opening fresh opportunities for agencies ready to lead.
The fieldwork is capturing the tensions and opportunities of the industry, while interviews with CMOs, senior marketing leaders and agency executives suggest an industry turning point.
3 Preliminary findings
These three preliminary findings offer a first glimpse into the changing expectations of marketers across South Africa.
- The AI wildcard
“Right now, AI feels like electricity in 1890,” says one FMCG marketer. “We know it will power everything, but most of us are still figuring out where to plug it in.”
Initial responses suggest marketers see AI as transformative—a potential path to greater agility, lower costs and enhanced creativity. Yet there appears to be a significant gap when asked to name agencies they view as AI-ready.
- The agility advantage
Early findings indicate that with consumer trust facing pressure from misinformation and a splintered media landscape, marketers need innovative, precise strategy and faster delivery. This shift seems to prioritise agility over scale.
Early indicators suggest an acceleration of in-housing for some functions, with marketers showing gravitational pull toward smaller, specialised partners for creative and digital work.
While network convenience still has appeal, preliminary responses suggest declining work quality concerns and high staff turnover issues, particularly from creative agencies that have been absorbed into larger groups.
- Talent shifts and budget pressures
Early feedback highlights growing frustration with unstable teams and constant onboarding.
Senior managers are seen as less involved in daily work, while experienced agency professionals are increasingly moving client-side—bringing insider knowledge with them.
Emerging insights indicate budgets remain under intense scrutiny.
Many marketers report having to defend spend line by line at board level. ROI and business impact are being prioritised over awards or accolades.
Marketers under pressure
Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company, observes, “These early findings suggest what we’ve suspected: marketers are under pressure to justify spend and deliver faster while still creating big ideas.”
César Vacchiano, president and CEO of SCOPEN, adds, “Agency Scopecaptures the unfiltered voice of the marketer—detailed and often brutally honest.
“Even at this early stage, we’re seeing an industry in transition with significant opportunities for those ready to adapt.”
Fieldwork for Agency Scope ran to 5 September, with full results presented to subscribing agencies from November.
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