Role redefined? Industry leaders call for a reset on the term ‘media agency’

Goa: The role of the media agency is undergoing a profound transformation, so much so that several senior marketers now believe the term itself may be obsolete. As marketing becomes more data-driven, AI-assisted, and results-oriented, the traditional client-agency relationship is being challenged to evolve or risk irrelevance.

Speaking at an industry forum during Goafest 2025, four senior marketing leaders, Rathi Gangappa, Chief Executive Officer, Starcom India, Satya Raghavan, Director, Marketing Partners, Google India, Ajit Varghese, Head of Revenue, Entertainment & International, JioStar,  and Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Commercial Vehicles, shared their views on the future of media agencies, the shifting expectations around accountability, and the growing need to redefine both the nomenclature and function of agency partnerships.

The changing shape of the agency-client model

According to Gangappa, the traditional idea of media agencies being focused primarily on placements is outdated. “It’s not just about where the ad shows up anymore,” she said. “It’s about partnerships built on connecting storytelling, commerce, media, influencers, loyalty, and everything in between. 

And all of it needs to be grounded in consumer insight and data.” She argued that in today’s volatile marketing environment, the operative word is “connectivity”. 

Varghese, who spent years in agency leadership before moving to JioStar, offered a practical perspective from both sides of the table. In his view, agencies today must move from being transactional vendors to genuine thought partners capable of challenging client briefs, not just executing them.

“We often say the client gets what they ask for,” he noted. “If a client asks for a CPM or CPRP-based conversation, that’s what they get. But the real value comes when agencies push back, when they question the brief and say - are we solving the right problem?”

He also underscored the need for integrated thinking. Too often, he said, performance and branding are handled by different teams, both on the client side and within agencies, leading to fractured strategies. “It shouldn't be a tug of war between performance and brand. Both need to live under the same roof.”

Attribution versus creativity

Shubhranshu Singh raised a red flag over the increasing obsession with measurability and attribution in advertising, a trend he believes is eroding the creative soul of the industry.

“We’re in a situation where the Excel-sheet walas are winning and creative thinkers are losing out,” Singh said. “Not everything that matters can be measured in a last-click report.”

He argued that overemphasising attribution creates a skewed view of marketing success, often at the cost of brand building and long-term equity. “You cannot have a transactionally robust brand that is aspirationally weak,” he warned. “Branding isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being believed and shared.”

AI, acceleration and accountability

Raghavan brought the conversation into the present-future continuum by highlighting how technology, and particularly AI, is fundamentally reshaping the way agencies and marketers operate.

Referring to the increasingly fragmented and fast-moving consumer journey, he said, “Earlier, it was about showing an ad and waiting for the consumer to respond. Now, it’s about being present with the right message, at the right moment, powered by real-time insights.”

He likened agencies to “superpowers” for CMOs, capable of using technology to deliver precision marketing at scale. “The consumer is like a character from a multiverse—moving across YouTube, Shorts, Search, and Shopping. You can’t catch them with yesterday’s playbook,” he said.

Varghese added that generative AI has radically accelerated creative processes. “What used to take three brainstorms and a week of planning now takes seconds. ChatGPT gave me seven campaign ideas before the coffee kicked in,” he quipped. 

However, he also emphasised the need for discernment. “Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s right. Human judgment is still irreplaceable.”

While the conversation didn’t centre on formal regulation, the need for ethical clarity and mutual accountability was evident throughout the discussion. Agencies, the speakers agreed, must be empowered not just to serve but to shape, provided they are given a seat at the strategic table.

Singh argued for a more integrated approach to accountability. “If you make brand investment discretionary and performance spend mandatory, you're setting up the system to fail,” he said. 

“Real partnership means being in it together, not just for the quick wins, but for the long game.”

Gangappa echoed this view, noting that agency value should not be evaluated solely on performance metrics. “We’ve become jacks of all trades, but the ecosystem still measures us in slices. That has to change.”