Forrester has anticipated a radical reconfiguration of the marketing agencies business in 2026, with a 15% loss of employment and a structural turn towards models closer to the product, technology and media resale.
The report “Predictions 2026: Marketing Agencies” a year of inflection for agencies. After more than a decade of structural pressures, analysts foresee a definitive change in the nature of these companies: they will stop acting only as agents of their clients to become suppliers of solutions, media resellers and developers of emerging technological capacities.
The traditional model, based on the provision of creative and strategic services, is giving way to a hybrid configuration
Thus, the traditional model, based on the provision of creative and strategic services, is giving way to a hybrid configuration where the margins come more and more standardized products, technological alliances, own platforms or media purchases. “With each consolidation, acquisition or investment of private capital, the agencies move away from their role as creators of culture to become orchestras of business platforms”summarizes Jay Pattisall, VP and Main Analyst of Forrester.
The five great transformations that are expected by 2026 are the following:
15% reduction in jobs
Forrester predicts that 15% of jobs in agencies will disappear in 2026, driven by automation, pressure on margins and the growing use of artificial intelligence. In 2025 there were already a middle cuts of 8% in large groups, and the trend will accelerate.
This loss of employment is not only a consequence of operational efficiency, but of model change: agencies will stop monetizing human talent and will sell technological solutions, paquetized formats and measurable results.
A CEO of a global holding company consulted by Forrester is blunt at this point: “In 2028 we will have doubled the benefits with half the staff.”
Model boom main average
The model of main averagewhere the agency acts as a resellers for inventory and not as mere intermediary, will represent a third of the total billing of means managed in 2026. This implies a progressive abandonment of the role of “agent” and an approach to more vertical schemes, where the agency assumes risks and offers guarantees.
81% of marketing responsible plan to increase their investment in this format, while large groups such as Omnicom, Publicis, WPP, Havas or Dentsu are already incorporating AI to optimize these operations.
The weight of mergers and acquisitions
The fusion between Omnicom and IPG has marked a precedent. Forrester provides that Havas acquires the international assets of Dentsu or that WPP can be the object of sale to Accenture or investment funds. Whatever the scenario, these operations will trigger a wave of contractual revisions: 85% of B2C advertisers in the United States already plan to review their media agency in 2026.
In parallel, it is estimated that at least 10 independent creative agencies will be absorbed by private investment funds, reinforcing holdings such as Brainlabs, MSQ or Wpromote. 78% of the 80 main digital agencies have already received financing from Venture Capital or Private Equity.
Four new archetypes for agencies
Faced with the decline of the classic client representation model, agencies will evolve towards one of these four new functional profiles:
- Sellers: Execute specific programs
- Merchants: Software, Platforms and Media Reve
- Affiliates: They contribute capacities within matrix structures
- Partners: They offer customer -centered services, but no longer necessarily from creative or strategic independence
Creative agencies gain ground in influencer marketing
The investment in creators has grown rapidly: only in 2025, the sector rates increased by 30% and Unilever has announced that it will allocate 50% of its advertising budget to social networks.
Creative agencies will assume strategic marketing with influencers
Forrester predicts that creative agencies will assume strategic marketing with influencers, to the detriment of media departments. As creators win weight in ideation and production, agencies will become talent and technology orchestras, reinforcing their role as integrators.
In any case, for years it has been discussed if agencies can survive as we met during the twentieth century. For Forrester, 2026 will be the year in which they definitely lose their “agency” role: they will cease to be independent agents that represent brand interest to become hybrid structures that sell products, data, technology and their own means.
This new paradigm requires redefining contracts, customer-agency relationship and the criteria for assessing creative work. Remuneration based on time and talent loses meaning to an industry that increasingly values efficiency, scalability and technological integration.
“It’s not just about efficiency”concludes Pattisall. “This is transformation.”
