The Next Agency Model Won't Be Built by Agencies Alone
And the next software model won't be built by software companies alone. The winners will combine software and expertise into something neither side has built before — and the window to do it is open now.
The operating foundation
What the Next Model Actually Looks Like
Intelligence is no longer a differentiator. Execution is becoming a commodity. The value has shifted to decision quality and the ability to demonstrate it. That demands infrastructure and expertise operating as a unified model, not integrated as an afterthought. Four layers form the foundation.
Shift 1
Build the Signal Layer
Ad platforms want precise, real-time signals. Privacy constraints are killing them. No strategic talent fixes bad data.
The fix is a first-party data layer deployed on your infrastructure — restoring identity resolution and event completeness without rebuilding from scratch.
From fragmented customer data → to a persistent, real-time signal layer
Shift 2
Establish a Shared Source of Truth
Platforms say one thing. Last-click says another. Decisions stall while the bill keeps running.
MMM, multi-touch, and incrementality testing unified into one framework both sides trust and act on.
From platform-reported metrics → to triangulated measurement that directs investment
Shift 3
Automate Insight, Elevate Strategy
Manual reporting caps strategic output. As buying automates, speed of decision — not size of team — is the advantage.
AI absorbs the diagnostic layer: creative decay, performance drift, anomalies. Your team focuses on what has consequence.
From manual optimization cycles → to AI-driven decision flows with human oversight
Shift 4
Unlock Cross-Client Intelligence
A shared data layer across clients creates something no single account can see — benchmarks, predictive signals, category-level patterns.
Agencies bring the relationships. Infrastructure brings the connective tissue. Together, it compounds.
From account-level learning → to network-level intelligence
Together, these layers restore signal quality, unify performance truth, and accelerate decision velocity.
Not a better agency. Not a better software product. The operating model that replaces both.
How we work with agencies
Building the Next Model in Practice
We don't run a transactional partner program. We work closely with a small number of agencies — whether starting with the signal layer or building toward the full operating model. Most relationships start with the data foundation and grow from there.
Agencies retain ownership of client relationships and strategic direction. We provide the infrastructure and AI layers that make those capabilities scalable and compounding.
The objective is to build the next model — where decision intelligence, not execution volume, defines value. How far and how fast is up to you.
Exploring the Next Model?
Whether you're starting with the signal layer or rethinking your entire operating model, we should talk.
