“Delegate to Grow, Deliver Work with Real Impact, Stay Deliberately Profitable:” Eight Creative, Tech and Marketing Industry Leaders Reflect on the Rollercoaster that was 2024.

From an AI-driven creativity crisis,  the new junk food ad ban to a possible Omnicom/Interpublic merger, 2024 has been nothing if not challenging. As the year draws to a close, industry leaders in the creative, tech and marketing sectors share what they have learned about embracing AI, agility, partnership, and market adaptability. Their experiences underscore the necessity of staying lean, focusing on genuine value delivery, and cultivating collaborative relationships as businesses navigate uncertainty going into 2025. 

“Stay lean, flexible and deliberately profitable.”

Miles Welch, Partner, Milestone Advisory 

“It’s been a challenging year for many businesses with lots of headwinds still present going into 2025. Larger firms are able to absorb more shocks and sacrifice some profit to weather the storm. Smaller ones can’t do that without feeling the cash flow impact and a few have balanced on a knife edge this year. With uncertainty heading into next year, those best placed will be the ones who can keep lean, flexible and deliberately profitable. Being able to make the tough choices, not being afraid of reinventing the model and looking for positive changes will be the winning formula in 2025.” 

“Filter out the noise and focus on delivering value.”

Chris Wright, Founder, Fifty Five and Five

“A key lesson was accepting that change is pretty much constant in our world now. We are raising for an AI startup, and focusing our existing B2B agent on AI powered services. The pace of change is incredible. But that is OK. We have learned to stay on top of what is new, filter out the noise, and focus on what delivers value to our investors and customers.”

“Create a cast-iron case for outsourcing production.”

Ben Wylson, Creative Director & Co-Founder, The Big Sky

“Agencies and brands going in-house with production hit us production companies hard, so we asked ourselves why companies would want in-house in the first place? (too close to brand, less experienced, fewer connections, vast overheads, especially post-Reeves’ budget). We kept sane by developing our Subscription Service so that we can out-do in-house by replacing in-house!’

“Partner with peers to drive growth.”

Ritam Gandhi, Founder, Studio Graphene

“This year we placed a strong emphasis on partnerships, especially with peers. Building genuine connections with others who face similar challenges created a space where we could exchange ideas, share experiences, and lean on each other. This approach not only helped us drive growth but also provided a sense of camaraderie, making the journey feel less isolating and more rewarding.”

“Deliver work that drives real impact.”

Ian Millner, Global Chair, Iris Worldwide

“This year has made one thing clear: it’s time to get back into creating things – ideas, platforms and solutions – that deliver definite value and do what clients simply can’t do for themselves. In an industry atmosphere defined by one crisis after another, we need to embrace change with urgency and face reality head-on. Motivated talent can’t be taken for granted. Now more than ever, our focus must be on what we do best, delivering work that not only stands out but drives real impact.” 

“Delegate to grow.”

Kevin Gibbons, CEO, Re:signal

“To grow by 30%, you need to delegate a third of what you did before.” I heard this quote a few years ago at a conference, and it really stuck with me. That’s something I’ve really tried to embrace this year, in a similar spirit to “what got us here, won’t get us there.”

For me personally, that meant building capability, hiring for gaps, and trusting our senior leadership team at Re:signal, to allow them to step-up and grow the business. In turn, that frees my time to focus on new growth opportunities, which I simply wouldn’t have been able to do if I stuck to what I was doing previously. We didn’t quite grow by 30%, but we did come pretty close – and the key to 2025, is challenging myself to do that again so that we can make things happen!”

“AI helps optimise processes and unlock innovative solutions.”

Elizabeth Lukas, chief executive office, Americas, AutogenAI

 “This year, one transformative shift I made was fully embracing AI in my day-to-day work. By leveraging AI tools to accelerate mundane, time-consuming tasks like data analysis, drafting initial content, and project planning, I freed up valuable time to focus on high-impact strategic initiatives. Beyond efficiency, I used AI as a springboard for creativity—exploring new ideas, generating fresh perspectives, and enhancing storytelling approaches that resonate more deeply with audiences. The lesson I took away is that AI isn’t just a productivity tool—it’s a collaborator that amplifies human creativity and decision-making. Going forward, I’ll continue integrating AI into my workflows to not only optimize processes but also unlock innovative solutions that drive business transformation. Embracing AI has not only retained my sanity during busy periods but has also redefined how I approach challenges with agility and vision.”

“Explore Accounts Based Experience for Pipeline and Growth.”

Stefan Ferguson, Managing Partner, Hex Digital

“The last 18-24 months have been tough trading conditions in agency land.
Historically – like many agencies – we grew 80% on word of mouth and referrals. We relied upon this for growth. 
This is no longer enough. 
Although we’ve known we needed to build an inbound engine for some time, it was only this year that we really leaned into ABX.

ABX (or Accounts Based Experience) is the latest iteration of accounts-based marketing.
I’m generally very sceptical of one-size-fits-all frameworks and processes but ABX is all about building a demand and lead generation engine around what makes you great. 
We spent a lot of time focusing on our Ideal Customer Profile and their jobs to be done – mapping the buying centres and personas then tailoring our positioning, offering and content strategy accordingly. 
Similarly to the concept of product-market-fit, you feel when it’s easy to produce engaging content, have lead-generating conversations with the right people, and ultimately win new work off the back of activity. If you are struggling for pipeline – and growth of existing client accounts – I’d recommend looking at ABX.”