Top tips on agency positioning and proposition to genuinely cut-through in 2026

We have already written about the phone being one of the most powerful tools in the new business mix. Just to recap, this is because:

• Creative and marketing decision makers are overwhelmed by digital outreach
• AI is making human interaction more important
• Complex services still require discussion
• Agencies need qualified meetings, not leads

However, when engaging with a senior buyer, what is spoken needs to be relevant and resonate. The agency positioning and story are critical.

Because we work with a wide range of agency clients and we speak to hundreds of marketing decision makers each day, we have insights into what resonates and how to adapt a proposition and story to create impact in today’s changing market.

We are able to provide our clients with a competitive advantage when it comes to new business generation. We know what works and gets cut-through.

For most agencies, one of the biggest new business challenges right now isn’t finding prospects. It’s proving why a client should hire an agency at all when AI, in-house teams, freelancers, and consultancies are all competing for the same budget.

Being “creative” or being an agency for “ambitious brands” is no longer strong enough. Moving into the second half of 2026, if you want to be picking up opportunities and work over the summer and into autumn, you should focus on the following:

Demonstrating commercial impact, not creative capability

CMOs and CFOs are under pressure to justify spend. Agencies that lead with awards, process, or outputs are finding it harder than those that lead with business outcomes, revenue impact, customer acquisition, retention, or brand growth. Proof of ROI is dynamite.

Identifying the proposition piece that is most relevant

A branding client recently stated to us that they have given up on selling creative as their clients were doing this themselves via AI and they were just adapting it. Instead, they have focused on the end-to-end model, from strategy to production – with the latter being the strongest hook. i.e. we can do the strategy and creative if that is what you need, but critically we will roll our sleeves up and make the creative work. This proposition is resonating well with buyers.

AI positioning is becoming a make-or-break issue

Clients increasingly assume agencies use AI. The question is no longer whether you use it, but why you’re still worth paying premium fees.

The strongest positioning right now is:

• AI for efficiency
• Humans for insight, taste, strategy, and decision-making

Weak positioning is either:

• Pretending AI doesn’t matter
• Selling “we use AI” as a differentiator

Everyone uses AI now.

Distinctive brand thinking is becoming more valuable

AI is flooding the market with competent content.

The scarcity is:

• Original thinking
• Category insight
• Brand positioning
• Cultural relevance

Clients are increasingly worried about sameness. Agencies that can articulate how they create differentiation have an advantage.

The summer and autumn are key for creative growth foundations for 2027. Agency reviews and account movement tends to increase in autumn, and several industry forecasts point toward continued account reviews, consolidation, and reassessment of agency rosters as companies adjust to AI-driven operating models and budget pressure.

That creates opportunity, but it also means:

• Incumbent agencies are vulnerable
• Challenger agencies need to demonstrate value
• Relationship-building before formal reviews matters more than ever

For the next 3–6 months, our recommendations to agencies would be:

1. Tighten positioning around one or two high-value problems
2. Build case studies that show commercial outcomes, not deliverables
3. Develop a clear AI narrative (“how we use it” and “where human expertise matters”)
4. Create thought leadership around a specific market niche
5. Invest heavily in high level relationship building through mutually valuable meetings

The agencies likely to have the strongest autumn are not necessarily the most creative. They’re the ones that can answer, in one sentence:

“Why should a client hire us instead of their current agency or instead of trying to do this in-house with AI?”

That is becoming the defining new-business question of 2026.