In part one of this two-part article, Ben Phillips, Creative Director, Films and Content, Monks, explored the influences that have shaped our world over the past 20 years. Here, he explores what the future of the industry looks like and how we might get that Monday feeling back again.  

From output to ownership

The advertising model that raised me can’t survive much longer. But what replaces it shouldn’t come from a consultancy firm. What if we stopped outsourcing salvation? The holding companies are fighting over who owns the data and media. But the one variable that is not commoditised by algorithms is creative equity. What could an original operational playbook built around creativity, speed and AI look like?

1. Put creativity on the balance sheet. If margin is all that is rewarded, margin will always win. Creativity is not a cost centre; It is a driver of growth. Pay leaders for cultural impact and creative performance as well as financial results. 

2. Make craft measurable. If we can measure efficiency, we can measure cultural resonance. Are people talking about it? Is it being shared, referenced, or parodied? Does it create earned media? Did search interest for the brand spike, not just the product? These should be standard in every review. Stop grading work on today’s weakened curve and train AI agents on creative archives that can co-create and keep the standards of past greatness alive for new generations. Our Glassbox media model is already delivering full transparency in results that traditional networks simply cannot match.

3. Protect ideas as assets. Selling thinking by the kilo is how creativity gets commoditised. Treat ideas as intellectual property. This goes beyond a traditional AOR model, which is still a ‘work for hire’ service. This is about shifting creativity from a service to an investable asset. When we invest expertise as a partner for ownership or shared upside across the team, we build long-term value instead of one-off fees. It's the difference between getting paid for your time and getting a stake in what you build. It unlocks new revenue and a more inclusive creative economy where clients, agencies and talent share in the worlds they build.

4. Collaborate with technology, don’t compete with it. Technology shouldn’t replace creativity; it should amplify it. Use AI and automation to handle the volume so humans can focus on taste, instinct and originality. Storytelling, cinematic craft, and conceptual thinking becomes more critical than ever, not less. The creative director protects the ‘soul’ of the brand. 

5. Curate, don’t just create. The creative’s role shifts from conceptor to curator and maker. The real value is in taste: knowing what to keep, what to cut, to set standards, to protect the integrity of the idea. And this shouldn’t just come from the creative department. The next era of creativity belongs to autonomous multiskilled squads who can build and own IP, not just contribute content.

6. Build creative foundations, not campaigns. Campaign thinking makes creativity disposable, forgettable and inefficient. Reinventing propositions for every new campaign. Foundations establish enduring worlds and unified objectives. Every execution draws from a single living idea, resulting in work that audiences can own, remix, and build upon. Impressions are replaced by creator amplification. 

Together, these six say: Leaders own creativity. AI enables it. IP protects it. Slow work sustains it. Bonuses reward it. And mayhem just maybe, history benchmarks it.

The AI agents are coming

The future of the industry is not for the faint-hearted. It’s going to be uncomfortable, unhinged and gloriously unpredictable. All the things that creativity thrives on. “More” is not leaving the menu anytime soon, but the rebels who can master the technology, define their own path and think bigger can thrive. Soon, my AI agent will be talking to your AI agent, sending you the summary of this article and advising you not to bother reading the full thing. Which is why, if you’ve made it this far, I thank you. Hope you enjoyed a nice cuppa whilst thoroughly scrolling down the page. You deserved that break.

There are a lot of forces shaping the advertising world that are out of our control, but I’ll leave you with this. There are houses in Yorkshire villages that have stood longer than America has existed. They were made to last. Maybe that’s the point. Imagine if all industries had that same mindset. The tools will always change, but if we consciously put work out there that adds value to someone’s day. Then, maybe that Monday feeling can return.