By Audrey Marchionni
Last week, our Head of Marketing Charlie Riley and I had the pleasure of attending the Ad Age Small Agency Conference in Toronto, a two-day gathering of scrappy, sharp, and hungry agency leaders rethinking what modern marketing partnerships should look like. From legal shifts to media buying trends, DEI practices to AI-powered planning battles, the theme was clear: small agencies are no longer the underdogs, they’re the ones leading the charge.
Here are our biggest takeaways:
1. Leadership Starts With Systems, Not Just People
Sarah Watson kicked off the conference with a powerful reminder: coaching leaders means looking at the systems around them, not just the individual. Effective leadership isn’t about fixing a “bad boss” – it’s about identifying the root causes holding teams back and transforming how we operate from the inside out.
2. The RFP Is Dead – Long Live the Conversation
Tim Glover from Pink Rebel Media declared what many have long felt: the traditional RFP process is broken. Instead, agencies and media partners should prioritize honest conversations and collaborative planning from the start.
Evan Ladensack of Pathlabs echoed this with his message on focused partnerships. Pathlabs exists to help agencies connect with vetted media vendors, reducing friction and overhead. The key? Stay in your lane, do what you’re best at, and partner for the rest.
3. Modern Media Planning Is About Leverage and Focus
Jim Leary of Continuum Media discussed leverage in media negotiations—how it’s not just about buying power, but also about expertise and partnerships that unlock scale and efficiency. His analogy hit home: “When I tried to fix a leak in my basement, it was a giant mistake. Bring in the pros.”
Small agencies should embrace specialists rather than trying to master every channel. And for clients? It’s time to expect more nuanced media strategies that reflect realistic ROI expectations and strategic orchestration.
“You don’t have to add headcount to get it right.” – Jim Leary, Continuum Media
4. DEI Isn’t Dead, It’s Evolving
With increasing political tensions, several speakers addressed the future of DEI in agency life. Agencies like Duncan Channon, Walton Isaacson, and Nice&Frank shared how DEI must move beyond tokenism to become a business driver: opening new markets, driving better creative, and attracting talent that reflects the world we’re marketing to.
“Tolerance for intolerance is unacceptable.” – Duncan Channon team
One panelist said it best: “If a client’s values don’t align with ours, we draw the line.” In today’s climate, small agencies have the agility to stand by their principles, and their clients respect them more for it.
5. The Era of White-Labeled Partners Is Over
In the session “No More Data Fatigue,” Amy Hall from The Barber Shop Marketing said what many are now realizing: agencies should proudly own their partnerships. If a partner is making your campaign better, say it. Clients value transparency and specialization.
The new model isn’t pretending to do it all in-house – it’s curating the best possible team for the job. (If you’re interested in OneScreen
6. AI vs. Humans: Who Writes the Better Media Brief?
One of the most buzzed-about sessions pitted a team of human strategists against an AI platform. Both were tasked with creating a comprehensive media plan for a new AXE product within a two-hour timeframe.
The verdict? Split down the middle.
Some attendees preferred the AI’s clarity. Others valued the human team’s nuanced understanding of brand voice and creativity. However, the real takeaway came from the debate itself – every stakeholder brings a different lens (PR, influencer, media, and creative), and what matters most varies widely. It reinforced the importance of asking better questions, especially when it comes to channels like Out-of-Home (OOH):
- What are the campaign goals?
- Where does OOH fit in the broader media mix?
- Are we driving top-of-funnel awareness or mid-funnel engagement?
- What will success actually look like?
7. Creative Agility Wins the Day
Day two was stacked with campaign case studies that prove small teams can punch way above their weight.
Aaron Starkman at Rethink shared major wins for Coors Light, Heinz, and IKEA, reminding us that the best campaigns often start scrappy. Rethink’s “You up?” billboard for IKEA sparked a full-on mattress war (and a 36% sales lift). You can check out the case study here.
Meanwhile, Familiar Creatures detailed how they turned Duke’s Mayo (a virtually unknown brand) into a challenger that could take shots at Hellmann’s with tongue-in-cheek confidence. Small agencies can out-think and out-maneuver the behemoths.
8. The Freelance vs. Full-Time Agency Debate
One of the final sessions featured a spirited debate on the future of agency models:
- Sandy Greenberg (Terri & Sandy) advocated for full-time, consistent teams that foster trust and develop long-term strategy.
- Alex McInnis (Murder Hornet) pushed for the flexibility and top-tier access of the freelance model, forecasting that 50% of agency talent will be freelance within two years.
Maybe the right model is a hybrid: a core team with a trusted “swarm” of specialists. But either way, small agencies are thinking more creatively about how they work, not just what they deliver.
Final Thoughts
This was one of the best-run and most insightful conferences we’ve attended. The energy was casual but intentional — full of honest conversations, open minds, and forward-thinking strategies.
If there’s one takeaway that sums it up? Small agencies aren’t just competing anymore. They’re winning. And they’re doing it by focusing on genuine relationships, more innovative collaboration, and bold, unfiltered creativity.
