The Triple Disruption in Agencies: Economic Uncertainty, Media Abundance, and AI with Tom Salmon
About this episode
Mike Lander interviews Tom Salmon about the challenges and shifts in the agency market due to economic uncertainty, media abundance, and AI.
What happens to agencies when scarcity disappears and AI can do almost everything? In this episode I sit down with Tom Salmon, Co-Founder of Agency by Agency, to unpack what's really happening inside the UK's 25,000-strong agency market. Tom has mapped the entire sector, and the data reveals some surprising shifts. We examine if the challenges that agencies are facing are a temporary downturn or a permanent reset driven by economic uncertainty, media abundance, and AI. As execution becomes easier and more automated, we ask a bigger question: where does true value now live? Tom shares what the fastest-growing agencies have in common, along with why scarcity might be the most important strategic lens of all. We debate whether algorithm-driven creativity will dominate, or if bold, human-led thinking will become even more valuable. Tom reveals why fewer agencies are being formed, how nano-agencies are thriving, and why the traditional "scale by headcount" model may be fading. Topics covered during this episode include: Why the traditional agency build-scale-exit model may be becoming outdated. Why economic cycles feel semi-permanent rather than like temporary fluctuations. How AI…
People in this episode
Host: Mike Lander
Guest: Tom Salmon
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Agency by Agency
Places: UK
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