Why Leadership Is the Last Competitive Advantage in Advertising

We used to sell magic. Now it’s algorithms, templates, and turnaround times.

• Media buying? Automated.

• Creative? Outsourced or AI-generated.

• Strategy? Template-ised and churned out in 48-hour sprints.

• Production? Fully assembled by machines.

• Pitch decks? Often half-written by ChatGPT.

So what’s left?

Leadership…

When Everything Else Levels, Leadership Becomes the Differentiator

You can’t “out-process” your competition anymore.  You can’t beat them on price, speed, or tech alone.

Clients today aren’t hiring agencies for output; they’re investing in judgment, clarity, and courage.  They want leaders who can confidently guide, especially when everything around them is automated.

The Market Says So: WPP’s Warning Bell

WPP, the world’s biggest agency group, just issued a bleak profit warning.  Reasons?  A slump in new-business pitches (down 68%) and $1 trillion of global ad spend moving in-house, powered by AI platforms like Meta, Google, and Amazon 

They’re pouring over £300 million into building AI tools, yet investors fear these giants will be bypassed entirely unless they lead with purpose and human insight

AI Can’t Coach a Team Through Chaos

Picture the chaos:

• Briefs drop mid-pitch

• A client freezes during a reputational crisis

• Burnout hits the team and juniors are left adrift.

Automation won’t fix that.  A viral campaign won’t save it.  Only emotionally intelligent leadership will.

Yet most agencies still treat leadership like a “nice-to-have.”

Leadership Isn’t a Soft Skill. It’s a Survival Skill.

In 2025, agencies will succeed or fail based on leadership, not software.

Leadership today demands:

• Leading through ambiguity

• Building trust in high-turnover environments

• Creating psychological safety and setting standards

• Coaching, not controlling

• Listening deeply across every generational and cultural divide

Leaders who skip this will bleed talent, trust, and relevance.  The bloodiest part?  Margins might stay, but soul and future-proofing won’t.

You Can’t Outsource This

Leadership isn’t a poster in the breakout room. It’s lived in:

• The unseen, hard choices

• How feedback is given and taken

• Who's praised, and who’s not

• Emotions, not emojis

• Whether your clients trust you, or just your pricing

This isn’t happening in HR.  This is happening in your leadership team, every single day.

Advertising Doesn’t Lack Creativity. It Lacks Leadership

Plenty of “smart people, on great teams” exist across our industry.  Yet what we lack is grounded, resilient leadership that can bring out the best in those people.

That’s the work True North does:

• We cut through noise

• Clarify decisions

• Build conviction.  Not ego.

Walk with us, and you’ll see:

• Teams that truly elevate

• People who stick around

• Clients who invite you to steer bigger ships

• Work that matters

• Businesses that endure

The Future Belongs to the Brave, Not Just the Brilliant

Sure, anyone can buy AI tools or license tech.  However, leadership must be grown from within, with grit, with empathy, with heart.

As agencies are commoditised, the biggest gap will be leadership:

• Can’t be automated

• Can’t be replicated

• Can’t be outsourced

Heres a thought:

Is your leadership fit for the future or just surviving the present?