Angela Tangas, the brand new International Oliver CEO and The Brandtech Group’s Chief Technique Officer, and Jack Smyth, Brandtech and Jellyfish’s Nation Lead in Australia, focus on the transformative influence of agentic AI on advertising.
We discover the definition of agentic AI, its purposes in real-world advertising eventualities, and the advantages it brings to effectivity and decision-making. The dialog additionally delves into the significance of constructing client belief in AI, the evolving panorama of branding, and the position of creativity within the age of AI. Moreover, they focus on how organizations can entice and retain expertise on this new setting and supply methodologies for implementing AI successfully in advertising methods.
If final 12 months was the 12 months when Generative AI took centre stage with some high-profile model movie productions, then this 12 months is trying to be the 12 months of the brokers. Agentic AI is not only the new subject; it’s driving model transformations as the brand new working system for manufacturers, for creativity, for development and for expertise attraction and retention.
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Agentic AI. If I hear it yet one more time, it’s positively prime of place on my bullshit bingo card,
Transcription (Edited):
Darren Woolley
Hello, I’m Darren Woolley, founder and CEO of TrinityP3 Advertising and marketing Administration Consultancy, and welcome to Managing Advertising and marketing, a weekly podcast the place we focus on the problems and alternatives going through advertising, media, and promoting with business thought leaders and practitioners. When you’re having fun with the Managing Advertising and marketing podcast, please like, evaluation, or share this episode to assist unfold the phrase from our company every week.
If final 12 months was the 12 months of generative AI, which took centre stage with some high-profile model movie productions , then this 12 months is trying to be the 12 months of the brokers. Agentic AI isn’t only a sizzling subject; it’s driving model transformations as the brand new working system for manufacturers, creativity, development, and expertise attraction and retention.
So, what do manufacturers must do to find their AI benefit and scale with out limits? To reply that query in a language we are able to all perceive, please welcome to the Managing Advertising and marketing podcast, Angela Tangas, the brand new International Oliver CEO and Model Tech Group’s Chief Technique Officer. Welcome, Angela.
Angela Tangas
Howdy, Darren. Nice to be right here. Thanks for having me.
Darren Woolley
Nice to have you ever right here. And Jack Smyth, Brandtech and Jellyfish’s Nation Lead in Australia. Howdy, Jack.
Jack Smyth
Howdy, Darren. Thanks a lot for letting us be a part of.
Defining Agentic AI: Software program that Makes use of Software program
Darren Woolley
Properly, it’s the sizzling subject, isn’t it? As I stated, generative AI appeared to dominate the promoting business final 12 months. However this 12 months, it’s positively agentic AI. If I hear it yet one more time, it’s prime of the record on my bullshit bingo card, as a result of everybody appears to be speaking about it.
We have to guarantee that the common particular person working in promoting and advertising will get a correct understanding of what we’re really speaking about. Jack, are you able to, in 30 phrases or much less, outline agentic AI?
Jack Smyth
Completely. My favorite definition is that it’s software program that may use software program. Take into consideration delegating duties to know-how that may carry out them in your behalf. A easy instance is an online browser. You and I’ve spent hours clicking round attempting to navigate web sites. What if that browser might click on round for you, permitting you to make use of your time extra valuably?
Darren Woolley
And hopefully then summarise every thing it’s checked out.
Jack Smyth
And give you a greater definition of brokers. That might be one of the best buyer expertise.
Darren Woolley
Yeah. Angela, while you’re chatting with CMOs or different advertising leaders, how do you body agentic AI?
Agentic AI as a ‘Tremendous Coach’ for Entrepreneurs
Angela Tangas
Properly, there are a number of threads to this, Darren. I’ve been with the corporate for 4 months and have spoken with CMOs throughout totally different markets. They’re all clearly grappling with the way to greatest leverage AI—not simply agentic AI, however AI extra broadly—throughout their complete advertising ecosystem.
The fast query turns into: the place and the way can I get probably the most worth from this concept of “software program utilizing software program”?
We’re seeing large alternatives proper from the very starting, beginning with the briefing course of—for instance, when offering a inventive transient to an organization like ours. It extends all through to figuring out the subsequent greatest motion primarily based on the end result a media channel is demonstrating. The brokers organise all this and supply it in real-time.
I like to consider agentic AI nearly like your tremendous coach. When you’re the CMO, a model lead, or a knowledge scientist, your tremendous coach helps you translate what’s taking place throughout your world. It interprets information in attention-grabbing methods, permitting you to take advantage of knowledgeable subsequent motion.
That motion might contain:
- Modifying your model marketing campaign.
- Rethinking your product technique.
- Taking client insights and feeding them straight into the gross sales or service groups.
The interoperability of agentic AI is especially fascinating as a result of it companies how we are able to all be higher at what we do each day.
Model Case Research: Optimising and Researching
Darren Woolley
Many of the conversations I’ve had are with media businesses, and a number of other have skilled workers to construct their very own AI brokers. I perceive why: I as soon as spoke to a junior media company particular person whose day job was watching three screens pump out numbers, which they then manually retyped into an Excel spreadsheet. There clearly needed to be a greater manner.
However past businesses, what in regards to the manufacturers themselves? Have you ever seen good examples of manufacturers embracing agentic AI to enhance their work and outcomes?
Jack Smyth
Completely. Two examples come to thoughts.
Instance 1: Proactive Advertising and marketing Technique
One current instance concerned an airline primarily based in Asia. We created an agent for them that might learn their press releases and proactively counsel a advertising technique to convert that exercise into bookings for the brand new route.
From the shopper’s perspective, this basically adjustments the way in which they work. As a substitute of writing briefs, they get into the mindset of approving suggestions from an agent. That is liberating. If somebody within the enterprise is engaged on a brand new product, the agent can begin the advertising course of primarily based on the preliminary PR launch, and the shopper merely jumps in when it’s prepared.
Instance 2: Competitor Evaluation
The second instance is for a shopper who created an agent to regulate their opponents. An agent is a really semi-autonomous employee that operates 24/7. It doesn’t get bored; it checks each attainable angle and finds each side of the story. This permits the shopper to be taught an infinite quantity about competitor actions—one thing that might have taken a human hours of painstaking evaluation. This evaluation helps the shopper assume strategically about the way to develop market share by behaving in another way.
Darren Woolley
I like that one instance is about optimising alternative—it’s not mere automation, however comprises evaluation. The opposite highlights the analysis perform of agentic AI, which makes suggestions and learns out of your actions.
Advantages and Addressing Moral Considerations
Darren Woolley
What are the direct advantages that entrepreneurs are reporting from implementing this? There’s real concern in some organisations about embracing AI attributable to authorized and moral causes surrounding copyright, information security, and privateness.
Angela Tangas
We’re definitely seeing effectivity positive aspects with out query. These positive aspects happen when you might have the best associate that will help you establish the way to greatest utilise brokers and the place to extract probably the most worth. You could establish probably the most time-intensive duties that may be leveraged by automation. This frees up capability to deal with higher-order problem-solving efforts that drive strategic worth for the enterprise.
Relating to compliance, privateness, and moral considerations , that’s exactly why you’d select a associate like Brandtech Group. All of the infrastructure we construct belongs to you, and all the worth and IP accrue on to you. That is essential as a result of manufacturers want as a lot management as attainable over their ecosystem.
We all the time knew model fairness was necessary. Now, if something, model turns into the final mile of aggressive benefit or a very powerful asset for an organisation. Whereas organisations are testing and experimenting, creating a short lived time drain , the flip aspect is that those that embrace it successfully acquire effectivity and make choices sooner and extra successfully.
The Position of Model in an AI-Pushed World
Darren Woolley
Jack, shoppers are utilizing AI, too, and a variety of what they enter refines the AI’s responsiveness. How does a enterprise guarantee what they put into AI doesn’t turn into half of a big information pool shared with opponents?
Jack Smyth
That’s a captivating query. As Angela famous, model is the final mile or the moat you might have. Each asset you publish successfully turns into a quick to another person’s mannequin about why they need to select your model.
It’s much less about separating ourselves from the coaching set—or the consideration set—and extra about the way you articulate your model to make it the apparent selection. The client’s agent is basically looking for one of the best deal, product, or value.
This creates a completely new discipline of branding round that fuzzy logic. At the moment, many brokers are rational; they search for one of the best value, quickest supply, or highest opinions. In a world the place brokers can simply discover that info, you must articulate why your model is healthier. That’s fascinating as a result of the agent acts as a member of your viewers, they usually assume and care about various things.
Constructing Client Belief
Darren Woolley
A report prompt there’s a giant belief hole with many shoppers concerning AI. How do companies make shoppers really feel higher about interacting with their AI agent?
Angela Tangas
Belief sits on the coronary heart of any nice model. Many organisations have gotten rather more open about what content material is AI-powered versus what isn’t. That openness is important and useful.
We’re additionally ensuring that content material we generate consists of the proper watermarks. This offers the model with absolute certainty concerning the place and the way that content material is getting used within the broader setting. That is essential for IP and preserving model worth. Nevertheless, we nonetheless have a approach to go in fixing the patron belief equation.
Darren Woolley
I just like the watermark thought, although the very first thing I discovered was an AI that might take away watermarks. Maybe burying it within the metadata is healthier, as AI doesn’t appear to the touch that.
Angela Tangas
Certainly, these are attention-grabbing observations. It’s not essentially seen; it’s all within the meta tagging.
Darren Woolley
Jack, you made the purpose that this adjustments how we take into consideration manufacturers. If the objective is not only to guard IP, however to create content material that influences all AI LLMs—so that customers trying to find my product discover my model first —that’s very totally different from our present angle, which is obsessive about possession and logos.
Jack Smyth
Completely. I feel it’s a very thrilling evolution of the way you outline a model as a result of it’s considerably extra democratised. A model is now outlined for various audiences: human and AI.
When entrepreneurs recognise it’s not a zero-sum sport, they acquire a unique perspective. We speak about monitoring your share of voice, your share of market, and your share of mannequin. Rising your share of mannequin is vital as a result of it should turn into a number one indicator on your share of market as belief in AI suggestions grows.
We noticed this with a CPG shopper utilizing brokers for a pre-flight check. The agent discovered from the belongings, which included stunning meals images with chopped chives. Persistently, the mannequin reported it wasn’t a superb match for a working mum or dad, reasoning that nobody has time to cut chives after work. There’s a satisfying humanity to the way in which these brokers assume as a result of they basically strive that will help you.
Darren Woolley
The AI is studying extra primarily based on suggestions. This strikes towards fuzzy logic, the place they begin to perceive feelings. One nice lesson from behavioural economics is that we’re predictably irrational, which can all the time be a problem for software program.
Angela Tangas
That’s why you want the individuals. You possibly can have sensible brokers operating the workflow, however people should take the insights and intelligence produced by the brokers and use them to create new pathways to worth. This implies new methods to attach with shoppers and construct a model world the place clients wish to dwell the model.
Model fairness remains to be invaluable. The orchestration of the workflow is all in regards to the people. People elevate the way in which we leverage the agentic workflow to drive new worth for the essential buyer connection.
Advertising and marketing’s Operational and Cultural Shift
Darren Woolley
If embracing agentic AI requires collaboration throughout enterprise capabilities , how does it basically change the advertising perform’s deal with driving development?
Angela Tangas
Precisely. The Oliver aspect of Brandtech helps entrepreneurs design, construct, run, and optimise working fashions. By partnering with clients on the within, we get sensible entry to their advertising organisation and the way it interfaces with gross sales, product, compliance, and PR groups.
With a extra AI workflow, we advise shoppers on:
- The evolving shapes and forms of expertise they want now versus subsequent.
- The mandatory expertise that consequence.
Entrepreneurs are more and more trying to return to the craft of promoting. This implies specializing in driving market share and creating fantastic buyer experiences. They wish to step again from duties like media planning or shopping for and focus on guaranteeing the model connects with the shopper at each second. That’s the thrilling alternative: evolving their advertising ecosystem to focus extra on the highest and backside line.
Evolution or Revolution?
Darren Woolley
Is that this an evolution or a revolution? Digital advertising advanced over 20 good years. However AI is just three years in and making large adjustments. Ought to we be considering revolution?
Angela Tangas
That is the trillion-pound query, because it impacts international GDP. Each current firm nonetheless has a enterprise to run. In the meantime, new, disruptive organisations are rising, constructed 100% on AI foundations. This creates competitiveness challenges between conventional and nimble organisations.
I see this as serving to organisations assume in a two-speed method. You possibly can’t change your operations whereas attempting to attain development concurrently. You should be smarter about partnering and directing the best sources towards what’s subsequent.
AI use instances change nearly day by day. The standard of GenAI TVC content material produced in document time means you don’t essentially want a standard advertiser for unbelievable TV manufacturing anymore. You could possibly create your individual TVC.
This brings us again to the working mannequin. It should be constructed with self-discipline. Self-discipline is significant as a result of know-how will hold evolving.
We don’t have the luxurious of huge transformation budgets like we did earlier than. Many earlier investments, like in CRM throughout COVID, led to “tech debt”. We shouldn’t repeat that mistake.
This all circles again to information. What number of organisations have the information maturity wanted to benefit from AI right now, not to mention tomorrow? That’s why the working mannequin wants disciplined development.
Democratising Creativity
Darren Woolley
For 50 years, the inventive division was the neat supply of all creativity in promoting. Companies nonetheless use that time period. But, AI is changing into a unbelievable inventive provocateur, a office for exploring concepts in real-time. What’s your view on AI’s capability to lastly liberate or democratise creativity? (I’ve all the time discovered the concept of a ‘inventive division’ a little bit of an anathema, as all people are inventive.)
Jack Smyth
Beginning with the premise that each human is inventive and we shouldn’t ring-fence it’s fantastic. Brokers are extremely empowering. It has by no means been simpler to go from zero to 1.
I take advantage of an agent for preliminary analysis to construct confidence in a path. I would then use one other to generate greater than mocks; I can construct a complete app throughout a gathering to indicate the shopper the shopper expertise. This can be a nice leveler: in case you have the concept, now you can begin to construct it.
The actually revolutionary side is the agent that helps you stand out. We name them zigzags. These brokers are designed to impress and even irritate concepts. They problem concepts by saying, “Another person has executed that,” or “That is the place everybody else was ending up”. Having an infinite group holding you to account—like a inventive particular person surrounded by brokers that not solely make them more practical but in addition ask, “Is that this one of the best you can do?”—is an attention-grabbing dynamic that inventive individuals reply effectively to. The agent is an instigator and collaborator, not simply automation.
Darren Woolley
A zigzag can be anathema to the creatives who used to look via the Cannes e book for inspiration. They have been comfortable to be impressed by class norms. Folks typically assume AI replaces creativity , nevertheless it works significantly better as that provocateur or stimulant to push individuals exterior their regular boundaries.
Angela Tangas
Precisely. There’s business dialogue in regards to the “market of lemons” as a result of speedy creation of content material, and the view on all this “AI slop”. The necessary factor is model differentiation. Creativity is all the time wanted to reinforce the model, and the facility of storytelling takes on a brand new which means to attach with clients. The inventive course of is arguably changing into much more invaluable now.
Darren Woolley
And utilizing an AI agent to refine or check that creativity is significant.
Attracting and Retaining Expertise
Darren Woolley
What position will AI brokers have in attracting and retaining good expertise? We hear tales that AI will make us so environment friendly we’ll want fewer workers. But it surely’s changing into extra of a expertise sport the place attracting one of the best individuals is vital.
Angela Tangas
The form and traits of the expertise base are shifting. We’re seeing demand for extra strategists, creatives, and information scientists. A brand new archetype is rising: the agent architect. This particular person seems to be in any respect the methods to leverage brokers for higher, sooner outcomes.
What AI is surfacing is the significance of EQ and demanding considering. Drawback-solving is the core sport. Curiosity is what’s going to differentiate you in being a unbelievable consumer of agentic AI. The power to show new worth to the corporate is why EQ and demanding considering turn into a superpower.
A Methodology for Transformation
Darren Woolley
What ought to entrepreneurs be interested by now? Many really feel stress to vary however lack a transparent imaginative and prescient or course of. How can they keep away from investing closely and ending up with tech debt? Do you might have a technique for this evolution?
Jack Smyth
One useful course of is to map out the present buyer journey and establish the place brokers can have the best affect. This helps prioritise the place to focus:
- Does it assist individuals perceive why they want our model?
- Does it assist individuals have a greater shopping for expertise?
Brokers will play a task at each stage, however this creates a hierarchy for focus. Brokers are a multiplier for excellent expertise and will let you discover options throughout your complete roster.
Angela Tangas
The primary query is: Is the market clear on the place they should win first? Readability is vital. Entrepreneurs want readability on winnable areas or defensive strikes to take care of competitiveness.
As soon as clear on the place to win, you’re employed backward: what outcomes are wanted? Then, you take a look at the workflow.
It’s widespread to see manufacturers make investments time in pilots with out translating them into scaling options. This occurs after they haven’t found out the place to unlock probably the most workflow worth.
The industrial piece is prime, involving two components:
- Drive as a lot effectivity as attainable within the advertising workload.
- Reinvest that effectivity into driving market share, buyer development, or income.
It can’t be both/or; it should be sequential. Everybody should keep and ideally develop the enterprise for the long run.
Darren Woolley
As you talked about, Angela, this transformation spans all organisational features, not simply advertising. Few advertising departments management all buyer contact factors. It’s an organisational alternative. The hazard for entrepreneurs shouldn’t be proactively presenting a technique for this general transformation, leaving them as a secondary consideration. Advertising and marketing is central to the shopper expertise. The dual advantages are effectivity and enhancing the shopper expertise to make it “sticky”.
Angela Tangas
Advertising and marketing is the expansion catalyst of the organisation. A part of its accountability is driving new income shapes, which comes again to the shopper expertise, understanding the shopper intimately, and model significance.
Scaling Past Pilot Purgatory
Darren Woolley
How do you scale this for development, shifting from pilots to full organisational adoption?
Jack Smyth
A key half is aligning in the beginning what number of groups will profit. Second, be sincere about the way you consider the pilot. Being sooner with AI isn’t sufficient; did it result in a brand new client perception or more practical belongings? Third, coaching is important. Our enterprise, Jellyfish, finds coaching to be our fastest-growing product. It empowers groups to embed the pilot expertise into their day by day work. By following these three phases, you keep away from pilot purgatory—being surrounded by cool concepts that aren’t fairly confirmed or embeddable.
Darren Woolley
I like that: pilot purgatory. What a horrible place to be. Angela and Jack, thanks for becoming a member of me right now on Managing Advertising and marketing to debate agentic AI. It’s the sizzling subject of 2026. You offered it in probably the most accessible, attention-grabbing language attainable.
Earlier than we go, one remaining query: are there any downsides to all this? We hear doomsayers speak in regards to the destruction of humanity coming from AI. Do you might have a kind of to share?
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