Media agencies once prided themselves on being relationship-driven businesses. The “people-first” ethos was foundational — whether it meant nurturing client partnerships, empowering internal talent, or deeply understanding audiences.
But over time, much of that philosophy seems to have been overshadowed by performance pressures, automation, and the pursuit of efficiency.
So, what happened?
One of the most significant shifts has been the rise of technology and automation. Programmatic buying, AI-driven optimisations, and performance dashboards have streamlined media operations, but often at the expense of human connection.
While these tools have made media more efficient and measurable, they’ve also created a culture where numbers dominate, and softer, people-centric values — like creativity, empathy, and relationship-building — get sidelined. Human insight still matters deeply, but it’s increasingly buried under layers of data.
Talent burnout
Internally, media agencies have also struggled to maintain a people-first culture. Talent burnout is rampant in many shops, especially among junior teams handling high volumes of work with shrinking margins. Agencies face relentless pressure to do more with less — faster, cheaper, and across more channels.
This can lead to a transactional culture where people become resources rather than valued contributors. Meanwhile, top talent is often drawn away to brands, consultancies or tech platforms offering better pay, flexibility, and purpose.
On the client side, the shift from relationship to ROI has also played a role. In a world where CMOs are under intense pressure to prove short-term results, relationships that were once long-term partnerships have become more project-based and transactional.
Metrics alone
Media agencies are now often judged on metrics alone, rather than strategic thinking, creativity, or collaboration. This undermines trust and devalues the human side of the partnership.
Yet, despite these challenges, there’s a growing realisation — even urgency — that the people-first approach needs a comeback. Brands want partners who understand not just their audiences, but their organisational pressures.
Talent wants to work in environments where they’re supported, heard, and given room to grow. Consumers, too, are demanding more authentic, human communication — and the best media strategies are grounded in real human insight, not just algorithms.
Heart of operations
The agencies that thrive in the next era will be the ones that ‘re-centre people’ — putting clients, consumers, and talent at the heart of their operations. That means investing in culture, rethinking talent models, building authentic client relationships, and leveraging data to enhance human decisions rather than replace them.
In closing, the industry hasn’t lost the people-first approach — it’s just buried under layers of pressure, process, and performance metrics.
But the agencies willing to dust it off and rebuild around it will lead the way forward.
The Advertising Media Forum (AMF) is a collective of media agencies and individuals including media strategists, planners, buyers and consultants through whom 95% of all media expenditure in South Africa is bought. The AMF advises and represents relevant organisations and aims to create open channels of communication and encourage and support transparent policies, strategies and transactions within the industry.
