Agencies Navigate AI Impact On Client Relations
Agencies are struggling to manage client expectations and communication as AI tools become more prevalent, according to Digiday. AI is helping and hurting client relations and office work, causing challenges for agencies.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “Media Buying Briefing: Overheard at Media Buying Summit: How AI is helping and hurting client relations and office work”
Read “Media Buying Briefing: Overheard at Media Buying Summit: How AI is helping and hurting…” at Digiday →
How this was written. GMS Agency Desk wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- Agencies are struggling to manage client expectations and communication as AI tools become more prevalent.
- Client briefs have become a major point of contention, with some agency professionals stating that they have gotten worse due to the use of AI.
- AI is affecting communication between agencies and clients, with some clients using AI-generated content and prompts.
- Agency leaders are advising their staff to learn new skills and adapt to the changing landscape.
- Principal media is a divisive topic in the industry, with some arguing that it can be handled fairly and in the client's interests.
Agencies are facing challenges in managing client expectations and communication as AI tools become more integrated into their work, Digiday reported. At the Media Buying Summit, agency professionals discussed the impact of AI on their jobs and client relationships. One of the main issues is that clients have high expectations but limited budgets, leading to agencies having to work extra hours to deliver results.
Client briefs have become a major point of contention, with some agency professionals stating that they have gotten worse due to the use of AI, according to Digiday. Briefs are often disjointed and lack a clear through line, making it difficult for agencies to understand the client's goals. Some agencies have started writing briefs for their clients, which has been well-received by both the clients and the agency teams.
AI is also affecting communication between agencies and clients, with some clients using AI-generated content and prompts, Digiday noted. This can lead to unclear and unhelpful information being shared, causing frustration for agencies. Some agency professionals have expressed concern that AI is being used to generate content without proper understanding or input from humans, leading to low-quality output.
The use of AI is not all negative, however, as some agency professionals see it as a way to increase efficiency and enable humans to focus on higher-level tasks, according to Digiday. There are two approaches to using AI in agencies: one is to fully automate everything and eliminate human costs, while the other is to use AI to create efficiency and enable humans to deliver more value to clients. The latter approach is seen as the more effective way to use AI.
Agency leaders are advising their staff to learn new skills and adapt to the changing landscape, Digiday reported. This includes learning how to effectively use AI tools and how to communicate with clients in a personal and effective way. Some agency professionals are also advocating for a more human-centered approach to communication, rather than relying solely on AI-generated content.
The Media Buying Summit also featured a discussion on principal media, which is a divisive topic in the industry, according to Digiday. Principal media refers to the practice of agencies deploying client ad spend against owned, principal, or proprietary media. Some argue that this practice can be handled fairly and in the client's interests, while others see it as a conflict of interest.
Overall, agencies are navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and its impact on client relations and office work, Digiday noted. As AI continues to evolve and become more integrated into the industry, agencies will need to adapt and find ways to effectively use these tools to deliver value to their clients.
Questions and answers
What is the main challenge agencies are facing with AI?
Agencies are struggling to manage client expectations and communication as AI tools become more prevalent.
How is AI affecting client briefs?
Client briefs have become a major point of contention, with some agency professionals stating that they have gotten worse due to the use of AI.
What is principal media and why is it a divisive topic?
Principal media refers to the practice of agencies deploying client ad spend against owned, principal, or proprietary media, and it is a divisive topic in the industry due to concerns about conflicts of interest.
