Why AI-ready agencies are winning for Small brands

Jules B.
21 hours ago
3 min read

Partnering with an AI-first agency is now a practical advantage for small and mid-size teams: faster testing, safer experimentation, and measurable revenue lift across search, video, and creative.

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Agencies are moving faster on applied AI than most in-house teams, and brands can benefit by tapping their partner’s toolchains, playbooks, and talent. As Paul Limbrey, Google’s VP of Global & Agency Partnerships, puts it, “AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a present imperative.” Read his essay on Think with Google for the context behind the numbers.

The case for the AI-ready agency

Independent studies now show agencies are ahead of advertisers on core AI use cases—measurement, audience reach, creative strategy, and insight generation. In Google and BCG’s global benchmarking, agencies report a 35% lead overall, including +57% in measurement and +59% in creative strategy versus advertiser teams.

Add the broader market view and the signal gets stronger. McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 finds organizations are still wiring in the practices needed to scale genAI value, with fewer than one in five tracking genAI KPIs rigorously—exactly where experienced partners help close execution gaps.

At the same time, the WFA notes 63% of brand owners already use genAI—but many have risk concerns when agencies deploy it, underscoring the need for transparent partner governance.

Agencies report 1.6× higher new-business growth, 2.6× efficiency gains, and 1.1× profitability growth vs. early adopters, per Google/BCG.

What top agencies are already doing (and what to ask for)

Measurement and experimentation. Advanced partners synthesize test results, run marketing mix modeling, and operationalize causal experiments across channels. See examples from Interpublic’s Interact platform and Jellyfish’s Share of Model, both cited by Google.

AI-driven media buying. Expect agent-assisted bidding layered on first-party and partner data—e.g., Omnicom Media Group’s Omni Bid Agent—paired with Performance Max strategies.

Creative at scale. Leaders automate asset variants, personalization, and creative testing. Examples include Monks and Making Science’s ad-machina platform.

Five questions to include in your next RFP

How is the agency training teams on genAI operations and safety? (Ask for curricula and certification paths.)
What does the AI tech stack look like across data, creative, and activation?
How are ROI and model performance measured—by channel and by asset?
Where are human-in-the-loop controls enforced for approvals and compliance?
How will the agency set up shared experimentation and first-party data protections?

Measurement +57% · Consumer insights +20% · Audience reach +22% · Creative strategy +59%

Salesfully takeaways for small and mid-size teams

Start with your partner’s proven runbooks. Ask for templates for test-and-learn calendars, MMM inputs, and genAI creative QA.

Co-own the safety plan. Align on model risk tiers, bias checks, and approval gates; the WFA findings show governance matters to brand leaders.

Focus on outcomes. Tie AI work to business KPIs (incremental sales, store visits, CAC). IAB’s latest video spend report shows buyers pushing hard on tangible results.

Plan for agents. If Deloitte’s forecast holds, you’ll be piloting narrow AI agents inside campaign ops this year—ideally with your agency’s sandbox and guardrails.

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