How Agencies Are Adapting to the AI Meteorite

How Agencies Are Adapting to the AI Meteorite

From AdTechGod Pod by AdTechGod, The AdTech God

April 3, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how agencies are adapting to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in the advertising industry.

At Marketecture Live in NYC, Bob Lord (President, Horizon Media) and Obele Brown-West (President, Colle McVoy), with Mike Shields (Founder, Next in Media) break down innovation cycles, legacy tech challenges, and why human creativity still matters in an AI-driven world. Takeaways: AI is creating massive confusion, but also an opportunity Legacy systems are the biggest barrier to progress The future is platform-based, not siloed AI won’t replace creativity, but will scale execution Upskilling talent is more important than replacing it Legal and transparency concerns are rising fast Agency business models must evolve Creative and media are converging again Chapters : 00:00 Introduction to Marketecture Live 01:23 The “AI Armageddon” Debate Begins 01:54 What Clients Are Really Saying About AI 02:53 Why Brands and Agencies Aren’t Ready Yet 03:28 The Need for New Marketing Operating Systems 04:40 Can AI Replace Agencies? 06:00 Legacy Tech Is Slowing Everything Down 07:30 Open Ecosystems vs. Fragmentation 08:28 Do New Agencies Have the Advantage? 10:06 AI, Jobs, and the Need for Upskilling 12:11 Rethinking Agency Pricing Models 14:04 Connecting Marketing to Business Outcomes 15:16 The…

People in this episode

Guests: Bob Lord, Obele Brown-West, Mike Shields

Topics covered

  • AI in advertising
  • agency adaptation
  • legacy technology
  • human creativity
  • marketing innovation
  • upskilling talent

Keywords

  • AI
  • advertising
  • agencies
  • legacy systems
  • creativity
  • upskilling
  • marketing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Horizon Media, Colle McVoy, Next in Media

Places: NYC

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