What Agency Leaders Have Learned from 2025... So Far

As the last of the summer air fades and the school run returns, so too does the advertising industry snap back into its brisk, relentless rhythm. We’re edging into the final stretch of 2025 – a year that’s already tested agency leaders in ways they couldn’t have fully predicted back in January.

The industry’s perpetual state of flux has been supercharged by the arrival – and rapid acceleration – of AI. This is no longer a hazy future scenario; it’s here, embedded in client briefs, creative workflows, and strategic thinking. Leaders are being forced to figure out not just how to deploy it, but how to keep their agencies culturally vibrant and creatively fearless while doing so.

Overlay that with an economy that remains stubbornly unpredictable and clients whose own challenges ripple through every aspect of agency life. There are still the old headaches – payment terms stretching ever longer, budgets getting ever tighter – but they now sit alongside new demands for speed, agility, and demonstrable business impact. And after a lull, the pitch treadmill is whirring again. For some, that’s a welcome injection of opportunity; for others, it’s an exhausting test of already thinly stretched teams.

In this climate, leadership isn’t just about hitting quarterly targets. It’s about balance – steering the business through volatile waters without capsizing creativity; finding ways to inspire teams when the pressure dial is permanently turned up; knowing when to sprint and when to slow down.

So how are London’s agency bosses handling it all? What strategies are they leaning on to keep both clients and teams motivated? What have they learned to help them moving forward in the months to come?

Katy Wight, CEO, FCB London

Stick to the plan. It’s tempting to flinch or chase every shiny distraction, but focus is everything. Hold your nerve, trust the strategy, and follow through. It’s the same advice we give our clients: first, know who you are. Then, be it like hell. Finally, remember you’re a human being and not a robot. You need to take care of yourself. Without you as a driving force everything else is irrelevant… That’s been another huge lesson for me this year.

Mark Boyd, co-founder, Gravity Road

During the first part of the year, I got three pieces of advice. One is about change and how AI is completely changing the game, and I think in many ways in advertising, we've been able to talk about that change, but we haven't necessarily, as industries had to go and do it. We've talked animatedly to clients about these things, but it is profoundly changing the game, and lots of our assumptions about how we organise the business and what we do are changing profoundly, and that is exciting but challenging. So, change is not something you talk it's something you do.

The second one is just about the challenge, the opportunity. What this really means is, for us is that historically there's been some really big bits of business that have needed huge agencies to actually manage those accounts. But what we are seeing increasingly is a level playing field where the scale game isn't the same, because you can be a really smart shop and bring some real scale through the tools that you have, which just means the challenge is anything winnable is takeable. The old David and Goliath days are some way behind us, and the playing field just got bigger, or maybe all these leagues compressed is one of those.

The final one is culture, and making sure that as things are changing in the market, we've got the right people with the right appetite and the right aptitude to run all of this. And those who are using AI are curious. They're using AI and these tools in their everyday life, as they are in their work as well, and if you can have excitable people at that, then you're in a really good place.

Dimi Albers, global CEO, DEPT

The biggest lesson from the first half of the year is, without a doubt, that in times of uncertainty, culture is more important than ever. At the moment, uncertainty is everywhere. First, there's the massive potential impact of AI. This affects both our clients—considering which of our agencies are effectively adopting AI and which may need reassessment—and our teams, as they navigate how their roles and jobs will evolve. Secondly, the economy is unpredictable, influenced mainly by the US administration's tariff policies, as well as ongoing armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Your culture and its strength will determine how well your agency evolves in these times. It will drive clarity and transparency with your clients, which will help them decide to keep their business with you.

It will empower your teams to embrace AI as an opportunity rather than a threat. And lastly, a strong culture will give you the foundation for having difficult conversations about everything that is happening in the world. These conversations will not be easy, but your culture will help build trust with your people and clients, and together, we’ll figure it out. Culture can be the cornerstone of growth. Without a doubt.

Chris Mellish, group CEO, UNLIMITED and TMW, part of Accenture Song

My biggest learning this year is that the importance of culture and having a shared ambition, should never be underestimated.

We work in a world where growth will always be king, and the rewards that provides people collectively and individually naturally drive motivation and progress. But within agencies culture and ambition are what can combine to drive real and significant leaps forward.  The right combination of these two things will make people go the extra mile, they will create an environment where positive challenge is the norm and where that delivers the change and transformation that keep business ahead, healthy and most importantly, in our increasingly competitive industry, winning.

Under index on these at your peril. Solid commercial management and financial ambition is a necessity and, in some ways, might be the easy bit.  Creating an environment where people thrive collectively is what matters and must always be at the top of any leadership to do list.

Jo Arden, CSO, AMV BBDO

My key takeaway from of the first half of the year is that we've got to do bigger stuff. We've got to take big swings, be bolder. Fortune favours the bold and I think that is more relevant in 2025 than it has been for a lot of years. And the reason I say that is, we've got a backdrop of really tough challenges economically with inflation, and with food inflation up again. I think there's loads of consumer uncertainty on a domestic and a global scale - people are still feeling the pinch, but they're also, quite rightly, feeling wrong-footed by what's going on in international politics and against that backdrop, advertising can't allow itself to feel squashed. The pressure can make you go smaller, and I think we’ve got to make you go bigger. My perspective from 2025 on the work that we're making and on pitches, wins and losses is that we win when we take big swings and I think that's what's going to carry on through the rest of the year and into next year. It feels like this is not a time to think small, not just from an AVM BBDO perspective, but all of us.

Jenny Bust, MD, revolt

2025 is turning out to be a challenging year for marketing. AI, in-housing, economic instability…there’s a hefty list of issues that agencies and clients are squaring up to. It calls for cool heads and smart thinking.

As an impact agency, tackling big issues is what we and our clients are all about. When it comes to climate change, we’ve been tackling a global crisis year in, year out. It certainly requires smart thinking, but it goes beyond that. It needs long-term ambition and resolve, and to be able to combine that with short-term adaptability.

A client recently talked to me about the concept of ‘anti-fragility’. Unlike resilience (which resists damage and remains unchanged) or fragility (which breaks under stress), anti-fragile systems actually improve and grow stronger when faced with disorder. For me, this is a critical learning for both impact and marketing: don’t change your goals but be ready to change the path you take towards your goal…and grow stronger. In many ways, Revolt has always been aligned with this mantra, but maybe more so in recent months. We’re listening with new ears and looking with fresh eyes. We’re finding new ways to work with clients as they are forced to adapt. And we’re broadening the aperture of what we do as a creative business. Embrace the new, be open to change, but stay committed to what you believe.

Sue Frogley, Global CEO, Talon

If this year has taught me anything, it’s about the importance of positivity and continuing to move forward confidently, even if cautiously, in the face of uncertainty. With the US economy delivering continuous plot twists and AI shaking everything up, we’re navigating weeks, not quarters. There’s no point waiting for things to settle. This is the pace now, and we have to lead with optimism and resilience. What I’ve focused on is giving people clear, purposeful direction. Teams, clients, and partners want a strong point of view and a steady hand. They want to know where we’re headed, why it matters, and that we’re ready to adapt when things inevitably shift. Leadership is about so much more than making decisions. It’s about building trust through intentional action that is grounded in positivity. When things feel unpredictable, steady momentum builds confidence. Set a clear path through the noise and stick with it.