I saw the writing on the wall a little while ago when I devolved my teams. Talent has become decentralised, and agility is paramount.
Many agencies are rooted in an era of fixed campaigns, scheduled press releases, and control over the message. Back then (and only a few years ago – wow!), one skill set and process might serve a talented staff member for 20 years. It was a time when project management and client reporting were jobs in themselves.
AI-enabled top-tier human thought leadership, connected to the top 5% of niche human talent, becomes the critical difference.
This talent thrives across virtual networks, communities, and in ideas yet to be discovered, but is no longer as prevalent in many agencies.
Some of the best digital editors, who have been working on suites of technologies since they were 10, are the 20-year-old nomads working from a Thai beach. The best social media content is delivered by those who live and breathe the passion for their subject, rather than a generalist office-bound social media manager pushing content out for ten clients. That is what AI is for!
Agile, performance-driven, and opportunistic marketing and technology initiatives demand ever greater value.
Traditional agencies will find it increasingly complex to compete in this dynamic landscape if they must sustain an out-of-date hierarchy of managers, while upskilling and retraining incumbent marketing generalists, and afford offices and spare capacity.
The Hub and spoke model
The future, whether agency or client, now depends on those who act like startups, who can merge strategy with technology and can imagine, connect, and adapt faster than the rest.
That’s the space that is Somewhere More Than
At the centre, the hub, sits a thought leader or strategist: someone with the creative vision and strategic clarity to see where culture is heading next.
I am providing no more than three client days a week to enable me to keep engaged with trends, opportunities and technologies.
In this new model, AI is not a replacement for human thinking, but a co-pilot for insight, direction, and execution. It supports, amplifies, and accelerates our work, allowing us to focus on imagination, storytelling, and strategy.
In agency days, it was much more about securing a long-term retained account to feed the employees.
The spokes
Around the hub are the spokes: specialist freelancers and independent creators, the best people for each specific brief. Designers, developers, storytellers, analysts – all brought together dynamically, project by project.
It’s modular. It’s fluid and designed for speed and precision, not undue process.
Core benefits
- Agility
Teams form and dissolve around each challenge. No bureaucracy, no waiting for “available resources.” You get the right expertise, right away. - Quality
You’re not limited to who’s on payroll. You can work with world-class specialists in design, tech, or comms who fit the project perfectly. - AI becomes the creative accelerator.
AI handles the data, insight, and repetitive legwork, freeing humans to focus on imagination, storytelling, and strategy. - Client-centric efficiency and value
Every pound, every dollar spent goes into making something happen instead of maintaining a structure. It’s lean, transparent, and focused entirely on outcomes.
Visionaries, not vendors
The next generation of PR marketing and software development agencies must build on vision, speed, and connection, rather than focusing on accruing retainers necessary to support permanent staff and offices.
In the hub-and-spoke world, I view the hub, as I do myself, as someone more than just a strategist or project manager. They are the composer and conductor, guiding a network of talent to sing their song, using AI as an instrument to move at the speed of culture.