“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward
Hello there. We’re Fraction, and we need to talk about something important.
The marketing agency world is facing its biggest upheaval since, well… possibly ever. Bigger than the shift from print to digital. Bigger than social media. Bigger than the pandemic forcing remote work.
Why? Because AI isn’t just changing how we do things – it’s fundamentally questioning why agencies exist at all.
Who we are and why we’re here
We’re agency veterans who’ve weathered plenty of storms. We’ve seen seismic shifts before. But this feels different. Because for the first time, the technology doesn’t just change the medium – it can actually do the work. And that changes everything.
Let’s be brutally honest about where this could lead. In the not-too-distant future, we could see tiny teams of strategists running what would previously have been 50-person agencies, with AI handling everything from design to copywriting to media buying.
Take that thought further and it gets properly existential. If agencies become small teams of strategists with powerful AI tools, what’s to stop brands from simply bringing those people in-house? Or just licensing the same AI platforms directly?
Blimey. That’s a bit scary, isn’t it?
Why we started Fraction
We created Fraction because we believe agencies still have a critical role to play in this new world – but only if they transform rather than tinker.
We don’t claim to have all the answers in any way – just the experience. The technology is moving too quickly, the implications are too vast, and the future has too many variables.
What we do have is curiosity, experience, and a willingness to experiment alongside forward-thinking agency leaders who know that standing still isn’t an option.
Our mission is straightforward: to map a viable path forward for agencies in the AI era.
Not with theoretical frameworks that sound clever but fall apart in practice. Not with doomsday predictions or utopian fantasies. But with practical, actionable approaches that work in the real world, with real clients, and real P&Ls.
What this blog series is all about
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring the key questions every agency leader needs to be asking right now:
- How do we shift our pricing when AI demolishes the link between time and value?
- What agency structures make sense when automation changes who does what?
- Which roles become more valuable, and which become automated?
- How do we maintain our culture when working patterns transform?
- What does client service look like in an AI-augmented world?
- How do we sell and deliver strategic value in this new landscape?
We’ll share what we’re seeing work (and fail) across the industry. We’ll bring you case studies of agencies that are navigating this shift successfully. And we’ll offer practical steps you can take, regardless of where your agency sits on the AI adoption curve.
Our values and approach
We approach this work with a few core beliefs:
Pragmatic optimism We believe AI presents more opportunity than threat for agencies that adapt. But that adaptation needs to be substantial and swift.
Evidence over ideology We care about what actually works, not what sounds good in a conference presentation or fits a pre-existing narrative.
Human-centered transformation Technology should serve human creativity and relationships, not replace them. The goal isn’t to eliminate people, but to elevate what they do.
Collaborative discovery None of us is as smart as all of us. The path forward will be found through collective experimentation and shared learning.
Commercial realism Wonderful theories that don’t make money aren’t much use to agency owners with payroll to meet. Everything we explore must ultimately support viable business models.
What we hope to achieve
By the end of this series, we aim to have collectively developed a practical playbook for the agency of the future – one that harnesses AI’s potential while preserving (and even enhancing) the strategic and creative value that great agencies have always provided.
This isn’t just about survival. It’s about creating agencies that are more focused on high-value work, more profitable, and frankly, more fun to work in because the drudgery has been automated away.
Join us on this journey
We don’t know exactly where this exploration will lead. That’s what makes it both terrifying and exciting.
What we do know is that the agencies that thrive in the next two years won’t be those that cling to outdated models or throw everything out in a panic. They’ll be the ones that methodically reimagine their value, their operations, and their client relationships for an AI-augmented world.
If that sounds like a journey you want to be part of, we’d love to have you along. Subscribe to this series, share your experiences, challenge our thinking, and let’s figure this out together.
Because one thing is certain: the future of agencies is being written right now. The question is whether you’re holding the pen or simply turning the pages.
What do you think? Is your agency feeling the AI winds of change yet? We’d love to hear your perspective as we embark on this exploration together.