This research is based on proprietary data collected from our unique audience, including publishers, agencies, brands, and technology stakeholders. Available to DIGIDAY+ members. See more series →
Here’s a bonus behind-the-scenes conversation with Digiday executives. 2025 Media Agency Reportwe looked at the current and future state of media agencies in terms of total client spend and spend by media channel, and delved into the impact of agent AI on the agency landscape.
Digiday hosted a focus group of seven senior media agency executives who oversee media investments for holding company-owned and independent media agencies to gather their own accounts of client spending. The institutions and networks that participated in the focus groups are:
- assembly global
- horizon next
- IPG Media Brand
- media hub
- mile marker
- Novus
- PMG
Below are their thoughts on how they and their customers are incorporating AI into their daily workflows, as well as their expectations for customer spending in 2026.
Impact of GDP and international sports on spending in 2026
said Drew Corry, senior vice president of strategic investments and marketplace strategy at IPG Mediabrands. “[Ad spending] It’s supposed to go up, but it’s going to be artificially driven by things like the World Cup and the Olympics. These tend to boost investment. As far as we can tell, it looks like it’s going to be a reasonable growth even without that. There are still many uncertainties and unanswered questions regarding key countries related to tariffs. We’ve seen some consumers and some businesses bring forward their spending, but the jury is still out on the latter part of whether that’s necessary. ”
Mike O’Connor, Vice President and Head of Investments at Horizon Next, said: “If there’s any indication from the front, the 2026 market looks a little stronger than 2025. The Olympics and World Cup are coming together, all of which are driving spending up. Broadly speaking, it feels a little more rosy and a little more sunny than 2025.”
said Andrea Montano, vice president of strategy, insights and connections at Assembly Global. “I’m also looking at GDP. I was looking at recent numbers.” [as of August 2025]the United States expects GDP growth of about 2%. That’s an understatement. Part of it also depends on your client roster (multi-regional clients, or truly global clients). we are a little more optimistic [about 2026 spending] Because global GDP looks a little strong. If this situation continues, I think we will become a little more bullish in the US. But again, 2% GDP growth is not that great. ”
Scott Schanberg, Mile Marker President and CEO. “As for my personal use, [AI]which allows us to do more. But looking to the future, where and how will AI be deployed and how will it be used to support humans? [at our agency]and to tailor them to higher impact work, we consider it in two ways. How do we do repeatable, scalable tasks efficiently? And how do we use AI to advance our capabilities? One of those buckets is starting to become part of almost every decision we make for ourselves or our clients. ”
said Andrea Montano, vice president of strategy, insights and connections at Assembly Global. “All our executive clients are asking what their AI roadmap should look like. [agency] a vision of where they are [clients] They value it as a culture and as a commitment to AI. Because they might just be dabbling. We try to line up our clients because they are just as successful. [AI]. Otherwise, you will not be able to utilize its full potential. It goes back to finding efficiency. That’s why everyone is also talking about more performance-based compensation models. It’s not a question of numbers. The key is how you can make smarter decisions faster, get the results you want, and get paid accordingly. As a result of AI, there will be some changes in the way commercial contracts are entered into with clients. This can be incredibly beneficial for both parties. ”
Rob Davis, President and CMO of Novus, said: “There are two main questions. [from clients]. One is where and how are you doing it? [the agency] Use it. How do you save time and energy and reduce your bills? Is what you’re doing making us smarter than our competitors? Then we have a very specific question. This is a question that I don’t think I’ve talked about with any of my clients in the last four to six weeks is, “How is this impacting both paid search and organic search?” I spoke to a client the other day and he told me that his site’s traffic was down 30%. They think most of it is due to AI. [agentic AI’s effects on search results]. It really depends on the category and the client, but especially it’s a very hot topic. ”
