CMOs Are Skeptical Agencies Can Scale AI — BCG Survey Reveals the Trust Gap

BCG’s survey of CMOs found that despite disruption, agencies remain a critical element in the future landscape. But there’s a trust problem.

The BCG Findings:

CMOs remain skeptical of agencies’ ability to scale AI effectively, with concerns centered on:

• Aligning incentives — Agency profits from hours; AI reduces hours
• Sharing value from AI-enabled efficiency — Who captures the savings?
• Challenging outdated business models — Time-based billing doesn’t work

The Core Problem:

Current agency partnerships — including commercial models not designed to incorporate AI-driven efficiency — are not fully sustainable.

What CMOs Want:

BCG recommends CMOs open a dialogue with agencies to develop new partnership operating models with commercial structures aligned to outcomes.

The future requires “a true two-way partnership, not a transactional relationship.”

The Bottom Line:

Agencies that figure out how to share AI efficiency gains with clients — rather than hide them — will win the trust battle.

This is part of a comprehensive analysis. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.