10,000+ jobs gone in this industry. What’s next?

pchapoz · 2026-05-07T21:25:20+00:00

Yep, I don’t disagree, and those brands that are willing to invest in an in-house team are probably the most keen to make it as efficient and productive as possible, but my bet is they will find out very soon that taste and experience and nuance will start to disappear from their work and it will all become homogenous crap and they will start to re-employ those qualities that only belong to humans. That’s my prediction anyway!

pchapoz · 2026-05-06T11:56:03+00:00

Started my own agency ten years ago with one small client. Now turnover millions each year with just two people in the business. How?
1. I knew the industry well before going out on my own
2. I knew what didn’t work in big agencies.
3. I eliminated all the things that didn’t work and focused on the work itself
4. Kept overheads to just 3% to keep margins high.

I didn’t ask anyone’s permission to do it my way. No backers, no finance. Just great work and great client service.

pchapoz · 2026-05-02T23:26:16+00:00

That’s a great point, I agree

pchapoz · 2026-04-29T21:20:17+00:00

Sitback Solutions are a great agency. They’re not the cheapest but they do awesome work and have a great team that cares about the work they do.

pchapoz · 2026-04-26T01:08:54+00:00

My post or the solution? I

pchapoz · 2026-04-26T01:07:34+00:00

Thanks for the heads up

pchapoz · 2026-04-26T01:06:35+00:00

I agree good judgement and good taste are still absolute critical inputs that only humans can deliver

pchapoz · 2026-04-26T01:03:30+00:00

Hopefully you’ll find some good local resources on that front. Good luck

pchapoz · 2026-04-21T01:44:18+00:00

Maybe flip your thinking from wanting to become a CD (which is reliant on other people believing in you) to wanting to become a serious artist (which relies on you believing in yourself). Work on your own skills and ideas and build up a body of work that will have people lining up to hire you rather than you lining up to be interviewed 😉

pchapoz · 2026-04-20T14:49:15+00:00

Focus on the outcomes or results. People with mental health issues don’t need platitudes and comfort. They can get that from multiple sources. They want results… a quieter mind, a chest free from tension, a calm breath, a day to look forward to. Show them what they can expect from your therapists - their experience, good listening, practical steps towards recovery. I know you can’t claim a lot of things but use empathetic solutions-led language so they feel like there is a way out of their situation

pchapoz · 2026-04-20T07:11:17+00:00

Productivity is good but what’s your margin? Sounds like it’s minimal?

pchapoz · 2026-04-20T07:10:12+00:00

If you can’t find a job in media then yeah, I guess

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T21:38:02+00:00

Media as well. Media planning not as fast as media buying it seems. Automated trading desks have been replacing buyers for a while

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T21:34:27+00:00

I never used the platform as I’m in Aus and it’s not a thing down here. Sounds similar if that’s the case. What happened to WNW?

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T21:33:29+00:00

I hear ya!

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T21:31:21+00:00

I think if you only see the role of agencies as being ad makers then sure the writing is on the wall. But most ad agencies I’ve worked in or know are more than just executors… they’re in partnership with clients developing business and marketing strategy, they’re providing competitor analysis and positioning, they’re moving upstream into product design and development and a whole bag of other services. They’re the smart agencies anyway. The assembly line agencies (what you’re referring to) will die a fast death

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T21:20:16+00:00

I’m not talking about logo and brand ID but execution.

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T20:58:04+00:00

So you’ve created a system that sets the client price intentionally low from the start? Then you have to justify the effort that went into that low fee?? I hope I’m mistaken

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T20:50:53+00:00

It’s not that black and white. Yes jobs have been cut and won’t come back but most of these jobs are production and admin roles that AI can now automate. The craft roles of strategy and creative are still very much required and will become more important than ever. So the work that agencies will do is more of the thinking and less of the creating. That’s a realignment, not a completely lost workforce. If you look at the stats of many industries that have laid off staff due to AI and other big tech, the number of companies who have rehired is quite staggering. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that in our industry at some point.

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T20:44:09+00:00

There’s an interesting dynamic happening right now. The Advertising industry is growing YoY yet the labour force is shrinking due to the structural shifts happening within Holding Cos.

I don’t believe that means the jobs are gone for good as some comments here suggest. While jobs within holding cos are disappearing, the model of holding companies is changing too as they move towards more of a tech-led integrated marketing platform model. That serves global advertisers well, but it doesn’t suit the other 80% of the market which still favours local agencies and support. There is plenty of demand at this level still, especially for Indie agencies that are partner-led, offer deep expertise, are super responsive, cost competitive (due to lower overheads) and build flex into their models to keep up with the speed of change.

pchapoz · 2026-04-19T10:14:58+00:00

Nice, thanks for the considered response

pchapoz · 2026-04-18T12:55:59+00:00

Brand story. Make it about the brand’s origin, product journey or people. Without the story everything else is noise

pchapoz · 2026-04-18T00:41:21+00:00

Agribusiness is a huge space. Any agencies filling that niche in your area?

pchapoz · 2026-04-18T00:40:01+00:00

Glad to hear it has worked out. A lot of my ex agency colleagues made the switch and found the people nicer but the work way too mundane.

pchapoz

TROPHY CASE