Agency shapeshifting

Zoë Francis-Cox,

CEO at Dialogue Agency and Chair of the CMA, offers her perspective on the changing shape of the content agency

It’s no surprise that agencies are constantly changing shape. The pace of change in our industry is rapid and, while we try to get ahead, ‘be on the front foot’, it’s not that straightforward to keep the structure of an agency evolving at the same speed. Add in the reality of shifting UK marketing budgets and confidence and you can see why agency models keep being reworked.

When I first set out in contract publishing land (yes, it was a long time ago!), the agency structure was fairly evenly spread across the core disciplines: editorial, design, account management, advertising sales; with new business resource always floating around and finance lurking in a quiet corner somewhere.

Account management, in particular, has always flexed with client needs and commercial reality: sometimes it’s the essential strategic lead holding everything together; sometimes agencies run leaner and the role becomes more blended across editorial, operations and client leads. Advertising sales also tended to sit as a specialist function with its own pace and pressures, coming into sharp focus at the moments that mattered most (usually around deadlines and page positioning discussions!).

And then ‘digital’ came along. Since then, I’ve watched the talent mix change again and again as platforms, measurement and audience behaviour have evolved. A reader survey and an analysis of competition entries used to be considered decent signals of success; now we’re expected to understand performance across a complex ecosystem of touchpoints. That’s where the newer specialisms came in: data analysts, developers, email and CRM experts, ‘experience’ teams, and strategists who can navigate the routes and channels brands use to build relationships and loyalty.

Structurally, the first response was often to create a dedicated ‘digital’ team. But over the last decade, what I’ve seen is ‘digital’ stop being a department and start being a layer across everything. That tracks with what UK audience data keeps telling us: people are spending more of their time online and a small number of major platforms account for a disproportionate share of attention. Editors now write with search and social in mind; designers create for motion, video and modular systems; commercial teams work across print, email, web, social and live experiences. And new business has become firmly audience-first – how and what content is delivered to that audience comes later.

“Digital stopped being a department and started being a layer across everything.”

Today, the shape of our agency looks much different to 25, even five, years ago. Like many content agencies, we have a small core team of creative experts, with specialist partners we can pull in when the work calls for it. Our technical and platform capability has also grown significantly, reflecting a wider UK shift toward measurable, multi-channel programmes and always-on performance expectations. You only have to look at the scale (and continued growth) of the UK’s digital advertising market to see why so many brands now expect joined-up thinking across channels, formats and outcomes.

Commercial models have evolved too. Advertising has become more consultative, with brands increasingly acting as partners and sponsors rather than simply buying space. We match brands with audiences via a mix of channels and experiences that can deliver revenue for our clients and tangible value for the audiences we’re engaging with. Print still has a role, but the high-volume, print-only model that once subsidised production has become harder to sustain as costs have risen and attention has fragmented. The upshot is a stronger focus on multi-channel partnership thinking: smarter packages, clearer outcomes and commercial ideas designed around how people actually consume content today.

Client directors now lead relationships with a blend of creativity and strategy, supported by an ever-dependable operations function. And the work itself has broadened well beyond the printed magazine: more formats, more channels, more stakeholders, more pace. That’s pushed agencies to optimise processes and ways of working, with cost effectiveness and repeatability playing a bigger role than they used to.

The one team that has remained consistent in scale is Content (formerly known as Editorial). And this reassures me that our industry is still firmly rooted in the thing that gets us out of bed every morning. Content was hailed as ‘king’ when I joined the industry 26 years ago and today, nothing has changed. How we craft it, hone it and creatively stretch it is still the most fun part of what we do – and it will never stand still. How we deliver it to audiences will keep changing as technology flies along, and the tools in our armoury will continue to help us measure what’s working.

“Content was hailed as ‘king’ 26 years ago and today, nothing has changed.”

While content remains at the heart of the agency, the change around it won’t slow down. For me, the leadership challenge is keeping talent fresh and forward-looking, while still protecting the craft and standards that make content worth anyone’s time in the first place. In the UK, the signals are clear: audiences are spending more time online, major platforms are absorbing a huge share of attention and marketers are under constant pressure to prove impact and efficiency. That combination keeps pushing agencies to rethink capability, structure and partnerships – not for the sake of novelty, but to keep delivering content that genuinely works.

And on the in-house vs agency question: I don’t see it as either/or. UK research into in-housing shows plenty of brands are building internal capability, but also that it’s a long journey and the reality doesn’t always match expectations – which is exactly why the strongest models I see are blended ones. When priorities shift (or budgets tighten), the best agency relationships aren’t about ‘outsourcing’ – they’re about giving brands flexible access to specialist skills, momentum and multi-channel thinking, so they can keep moving.

But if I zoom out, the real thread through all of this is simple: agencies will keep shapeshifting, because audiences, platforms and technology will keep moving. Structures need to be flexible enough to evolve without losing the fundamentals – clear thinking, great craft and brilliant storytelling. In an AI-rich world, tools can accelerate production and sharpen measurement, but they can’t replace judgement, originality or the human instinct for what will resonate. That’s why I still believe the most effective content marketing comes from teams built to adapt quickly, while staying relentlessly committed to making work that people actually want to spend time with.