For all the noise about disruption, the brand–agency relationship is far from broken. But in 2026 it will be exposed like never before, writes Rich Robinson, Executive Director of Ingenuity+

CMOs are being asked to move faster, prove impact more clearly and manage more complexity than ever before; all the while operating with leaner teams and tighter scrutiny. Yet many are still relying on partnership models designed for a slower, simpler era. The result is friction: over-cooked rosters, misaligned incentives and agencies optimised for comfort rather than performance.

At Ingenuity+, we’re fortunate to sit at the intersection of the UK’s most ambitious brands and the agencies competing to work with them. This vantage point gives us early visibility of the relationships accelerating growth and those quietly quitting, or worse still, being tolerated rather than trusted.

The signals for 2026 are clear. The agency model isn’t collapsing, but tolerance for inefficiency, ambiguity and misalignment is. The biggest risk for CMOs isn’t choosing the wrong agency but keeping the right ones in the wrong system.

The CMOs who gain advantage in the year ahead will stop searching for the next ‘perfect’ agency and instead redesign their external operating model for growth.

Here are five shifts that will define the next phase of the brand–agency relationship.

1. The era of the AOR ends as CMOs become system designers

The traditional Agency of Record (AOR) model will still exist, but is fast becoming a convenience rather than a performance engine. The idea of one agency excelling equally at generative AI content, global media strategy, commerce, CRM and brand creativity is no longer credible. High-performing brands are moving toward curated agency ecosystems: deliberately designed networks of specialists, each chosen for clear, differentiated value.

The challenge for CMOs is no longer agency selection, but orchestration. In this new world, the CMO’s role will evolve from relationship manager to system architect, with intermediaries playing a critical role in maintaining momentum, integration and accountability.

2. Time-based pricing loses credibility as value becomes the currency

Generative AI has accelerated a long-overdue reckoning with how marketing and creative work is priced. When production, adaptation and optimisation can be delivered at machine speed, paying for time spent becomes increasingly difficult to justify. As a result, value-based commercial models, including barter, are accelerating. CMOs are pushing agencies to link fees to outcomes; from efficiency gains and speed-to-market to audience growth and measurable ROI. Hybrid models are likely to dominate the transition, but the direction of travel is unmistakable.

By 2027, agencies and brands still defending the billable hour will increasingly be doing so to protect revenue for the agency and ease for the brand, as opposed to mutual value creation for all.

3. Procurement emerges as a growth enabler, not a constraint

The long-standing tension between marketing and procurement is giving way to something far more productive. In volatile economic conditions, financial rigour is not the enemy of creativity; it is the force allowing it to scale sustainably. The most effective CMOs are embedding procurement expertise early in the pitch and partner selection process. This shift moves procurement beyond cost control into strategy: shaping commercial models, mitigating risk and ensuring incentives genuinely reward performance.

When marketing and procurement operate as a single team, contracts become clearer, relationships more transparent and long-term value easier to unlock.

4. Cultural fit becomes a performance multiplier

Access to talent, tools and technology have been the table stakes of 2025. What increasingly separates the successful partnerships from the underperforming ones is not what agencies do, but how they set up to work with their clients. Chemistry is no longer a soft consideration. Cultural fit directly affects speed of decision-making, quality of challenge and an agency’s ability to provoke new thinking rather than reinforce groupthink.

As a result, chemistry sessions and live collaboration now carry more weight than credentials decks. The strongest partnerships are built on trust, radical candour and shared ambition, and outperform because of it. Where cultural fit is absent, momentum quietly drains away.

5. The agency market polarises while the middle gets squeezed

The agency landscape is accelerating toward two winning typologies. At one end are large holding groups offering scale, security and global consistency. At the other are highly specialised independents built for speed, focus and deep expertise. The greatest pressure sits in the middle. Agencies without proprietary platforms, distinctive specialism or genuine integration capability are finding it increasingly hard to articulate why they exist.

For CMOs, the risk is paying for scale they don’t need or buying ‘integration’ that never fully materialises. Clarity is the antidote, knowing if the challenge is global and complex, or bespoke and high-impact. Answering these questions before going to market will dictate the future winning agency model.

The bottom line

The next competitive advantage for brands will come from how decisively CMOs design and govern their external ecosystems, versus having more agencies, better credentials or shinier technology. In 2026, the most effective CMOs won't just be judged on the agencies they hire, they will be judged on the systems they build around them.

Rich will be writing for MAD//Insight throughout the year and will be on stage at MAD//North.