Stephanie Douglas-Neal.
Stephanie Douglas-Neal, CEO, UM Australia.
Recent industry research, by Wendy Gower at We Grow Media, paints a clear picture of a sector under pressure, where time is compressed, tolerance for inefficiency is low, and ways of working are becoming increasingly transactional. It is an honest reflection of the landscape many agency teams are operating in, but it also prompts a more important question that are we quietly stripping out the very things that make our work effective, in our constant quest for efficiency?
The current pressure on media agencies is undeniable, with workloads increasing, teams becoming leaner, and client and leadership expectations continuing to rise. In response, the industry has naturally gravitated toward efficiency, with fewer meetings, less informal conversation, and a stronger focus on output. Yet in stripping everything back to what feels productive on the surface, there is a risk that something critical is being lost: the colour.
The shift toward “less talk, more output” appears logical, promising fewer distractions, clearer communication, and faster turnaround. However, when every interaction is optimised for speed, something more subtle begins to vanish. Nuance starts to disappear, context becomes thinner, curiosity is deprioritised, and the kind of challenge that sharpens thinking is often left unsaid. The result is work that may be efficient, but is also more ‘bland’, and while it may deliver against a brief it’s not always distinctive work.
Media has never been a purely functional discipline, and its real power lies in the balance between data and instinct, structure and creativity, logic and imagination. That balance cannot be achieved through perfectly written emails or tightly run status meetings alone, it is built through human interaction, the kind that introduces texture, tension, and unexpected thinking into the process.
What is often dismissed as “chit chat” is, in reality, where much of the meaningful work begins. It is in these moments that better questions emerge, hidden tensions are uncovered, and braver ideas start to take shape. It is also where trust is built, thinking is tested, and connections are made that would not surface in more rigid, transactional exchanges. Removing these interactions does not simply eliminate noise; it removes possibility.
That said, the industry’s frustration is valid. There is little patience, or time, for irrelevant outreach, poorly prepared meetings, or conversations that are one-sided and self-serving. This is not collaboration but clutter, and it is right to challenge it. However, the solution is not to eliminate interaction altogether, but to improve the quality of it, and move from bland to full colour.
The real opportunity is not to become more transactional, but more intentional. Because the truth is, if we are not demonstrating a deep, almost obsessive understanding of our clients’ businesses, then we are not doing the job we are paid to do. Our role is not to process briefs or optimise plans in isolation; it is to connect the dots between business ambition and media possibility in ways our clients cannot see on their own.
In my experience, the work only becomes truly powerful when we step into that space, when we challenge, build, and shape ideas together, translating commercial pressures into distinctive media opportunities that create advantage in market. That is where growth is unlocked. That is where brands stand apart. And it is almost impossible to achieve in a purely transactional relationship.
It is about creating environments where time is respected, thinking is valued, and conversations are purposeful without losing their depth. It requires a shared understanding of the difference between noise and value, between speed and genuine progress, and between output and meaningful impact.
Because when you get that balance right, the shift is noticeable. The work becomes sharper because it is informed by richer perspectives, ideas become braver because they have been properly challenged, and relationships strengthen because they are built on trust rather than simple delivery.
Technology will continue to remove friction from the way we work, with AI accelerating processes and automation improving precision. However, these advancements will not replace the human qualities that underpin effective marketing, such as judgment, empathy, and creativity. These are developed through genuine human connection, which in a high-pressure environment must be actively designed rather than left to chance.
If the industry continues to head toward a more black-and-white way of working, defined by fewer conversations and tighter, more transactional interactions, then the real opportunity lies in moving in the opposite direction. Building full colour media means creating work that is precise without being rigid, efficient without becoming transactional, and structured while remaining fundamentally human.
The goal is not to remove the human layer from how we work, but to ensure it plays a more meaningful role in the outcomes we deliver.