Eve Pennington - Has Our Industry Lost Its Way? A View 25 Years In

Source: © 123rf 123rf Eve Pennington says this should be the golden age of marketing, but agency models haven’t kept pace

Cracks in the foundation

Consider this: according to Scopen’s 2024 New Business Report (via Bizcommunity), South Africa alone saw 45 new agency pitches last year. That’s a powerful signal of client dissatisfaction.

And the people powering this industry? Many are opting out of the agency world entirely.

Independent talent collectives are thriving. Abstract Club currently has 38 senior media professionals on their books (up 30% from 2020), while the unofficial “Strategy Girls” group consists of 25 digital strategists operating as freelancers.

At the same time, agencies are struggling to hire fresh talent—and many of the brilliant minds I’ve worked with for decades are burning out or walking away.

For someone like me, who consults independently, it’s a busy time. But it’s also heartbreaking.

A changed landscape

When I started, fresh from AAA School of Advertising, the industry was simpler.

Today, the pace and scale of change are exhilarating. The number of media channels has exploded.

Technology gives us real-time insights and the ability to deliver personalised messaging at scale. And consumers are no longer just audiences—they’re participants, curators, and vocal co-creators of brand experiences.

This should be the golden age of marketing. And yet, I believe that our agency models haven’t kept pace.

Creative and media still operate in silos. Global networks are answerable to shareholders, often on other continents.

And the industry’s “North Star” is often efficiency and cost-cutting, rather than great work and client success.

Time for reinvention

I’m not alone in feeling this. Industry leaders like Kamran Asghar, founder of Crossmedia (New York), and Ivan Fernandes, a marketing & media M&A specialist in the EMEA region, are openly challenging the status quo.

Their calls for integrated thinking, client-focused delivery, and human-first agency models deeply resonate with me.

A recent example of this sentiment is the launch of the independent agency Studio One led by Ajaz Ahmed, founder of AKQA in London, who recently exited the WPP group.

He claims that his new independent agency is aimed at challenging traditional agency models, offering more flexibility, innovation and agility, an attractive alternative to large, bureaucratic organisations.

It got me thinking: If I ever stepped back into agency life, what would that agency look like?

My vision for a new kind of agency (that I would work in)

• Independent and founder-led, with leaders actively working in the business.
• Rooted in South Africa and Africa, with profits benefitting our local economies and people.
• True integration - media and creative operate as one, baked into the agency’s DNA. No silos. Ever!
• Curious, collaborative talent, selected for problem-solving instincts and a passion for ideas (who happen to be brilliant at media).
• Senior-first resource model, supported by a hybrid of full-time and freelance specialists.
• True commitment to young talent, with learnerships and industry body involvement as core to the business, not an afterthought.
• Right-fit clients — brands led by brave decision-makers who value a challenger mindset, believe in the power of integrated thinking, and want to create impactful work, not just chase the lowest cost dictated by procurement.

As Fernandes aptly puts it, “A strategically aligned, commercially sound, and human-first agency ecosystem.” That, to me, is an agency worth building.

Let’s talk about it

Am I alone in thinking this way? Or are more of us ready to reimagine what the industry in South Africa could be?