As independent agencies continue to challenge traditional industry structures, a consistent theme emerged from the New Digital Age roundtable in Cannes: collaboration and culture are now key competitive advantages. While tech investment and innovation remain critical, it is the human side of indie agencies that offers resilience, agility and differentiation. (Read Part One of this roundtable recap here.)
Participants included: Mike Khouri, CEO & Founder, tactical; Paul Frampton, CEO, Goodway Group; Charlotte Mullan, MD, Walk In Media; Marco Ricci, CEO and Co-Founder, Influx; Rhys Williams, Managing Partner, the7stars; Kate Fulford-Brown, CEO, 2LK; Clive Mishon, Co-Chair, Alliance of Independent Agencies; Jason Foo, CEO, BBD Perfect Storm; Martin Albrecht, Co-Founder & Partner, Crossmedia; and Ashley MacKenzie, Founder and Chief Executive, Fenestra.
Jason Foo of BBD Perfect Storm highlighted the importance of cultural fit. “Clients want consultants, not just vendors,” he said. “They want to know that the people they work with will stay consistent, understand their business and be in it for the long haul.”
Kate Fulford-Brown of 2LK agreed. “It’s not just about founders having skin in the game – with an EOT model, every member of the team is committed,” she said. “That kind of consistency and integrity runs through the agency and makes a real difference to clients.”
Indies and the collaboration advantage
One of the most powerful opportunities for indie agencies lies in working with each other. Martin Albrecht of Crossmedia noted, “We’ve always collaborated across disciplines. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. Clients want to curate teams of specialists – and indies are built for that.”
Clive Mishon of the Alliance of Independent Agencies pointed out that cross-agency collaboration is becoming more common. “It doesn’t happen as much as you’d think, but where there’s clear demarcation and specialism, it works really well.”
Rhys Williams of the7stars highlighted the need for shared workflow platforms to make this easier. “We want to collaborate, but different systems can make it hard,” he said. “That’s going to be important as AI and tech fragmentation grows.”
Tech, trust and redefining the business model
AI is reshaping agency operations, but not always in predictable ways. Paul Frampton emphasised that embracing technology is not optional. “You need to build or adopt technology that helps clients grow – otherwise you’re just another service business with no long-term differentiator.”
MacKenzie raised a crucial challenge: pricing and scaling innovation. “We’ve automated post-campaign reports with LLMs, replacing hours of manual work. But how do you monetise that when it collapses the perceived value?”
There was agreement that selling time is outdated. “We’ve stopped charging for thinking time where we can,” said Khouri. “Procurement still pulls us back into time-based models, but we’re working to shift that.”
Frampton added, “Agencies need to move from selling services to selling solutions. That’s what clients want.”
Redefining growth and scale
Mike Khouri reflected on his agency’s evolution. “We started with a single app project and grew organically by focusing on value and trust. We’ve never had a sales team – it’s all been through partnership and word-of-mouth.”
Jason Foo pointed out that survival itself fuels innovation. “You do what it takes to survive. We’ve had to rebuild our internal processes and strip away layers of admin just to keep pace.”
That agility is something larger players struggle with. “Holding companies have scale, but they’re not nimble,” said Fulford-Brown. “We can move fast and be intentional – we’re not tied down by legacy systems.”
“We’re seeing speed/time as a growing currency, especially where big budgets are shifting to Influencer marketing”, adds Marco Ricci, “and indies are best-placed to turnaround the custom-fit needs of the Brand to a Brief, especially when partnering with the right data-partners.”
The future of talent and values
As agencies compete for top talent, culture and clarity of purpose are proving to be major draws. Albrecht said, “Our best hires are often people who’ve been through the holding company system and want something more meaningful.”
Williams agreed: “People are looking for security and purpose. That’s where indies have the edge – we’re stable, values-driven, and we let people focus on what matters.”
Frampton warned that AI will challenge traditional headcount models. “You can now build solutions that would have taken teams of people. Indie agencies must find ways to monetise platforms and technology, or risk being undercut.”
Conclusion: the path forward
As the roundtable drew to a close, a sense of realism mingled with optimism. There are challenges ahead – around scaling, pricing, talent and tech – but independent agencies are tackling them head-on.
“We’re not just responding to market shifts,” said Khouri. “We’re reshaping how agencies operate – through culture, collaboration and creativity.”
Mishon concluded, “This is about creating a level playing field. And the more we work together, the more we can redefine what success looks like for our industry.”
From Cannes, the message was clear: the rise of indie agencies isn’t a trend – it’s a transformation.
