778 agency leaders.
One word came back more than any other: Uncertain.
Revisit the 2025 study- Home
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- Agency Core 2026
The Agency Core Study of 2026
For three years, we’ve documented how agencies are changing.
In 2026, the most important finding isn’t what’s changing. It’s what isn’t.
The Agency Core Study of 2026 reveals what 579 agency leaders see, what 400 of their clients want, and the one gap separating the agencies pulling ahead from the ones falling behind.
Free. Ungated. No email required.
579
agency leaders
400
of their clients
Year over year
The Mood Has a New Address.
579 agency leaders. 400 of their clients.
One finding nobody saw coming.
See the finding
The finding
The Fog Lifted. Nothing Else Did.
For the first time in three years, agency leaders can see what to do. Most still aren’t doing it.
strongly agree the market is changing dramatically. Up from 35% in 2025.
are adapting their operations to market forces.
say their agency needs to make big changes. Up from 16% in 2022.
fully execute on the three strategy areas they themselves call most important.
The path is visible. Most agencies aren’t walking it. This report is about why.
In their words
We Asked Why.
They didn’t blame the market.
We only focus on marketing when it’s too late.
Putting out fires every single day.
Time.
Straight up.
We’re tired.
We know exactly what we should do. We just can’t make ourselves do it.
Different cities. Different sizes. Different segments. Same words.
Segments
Three Tribes. One Is Yours.
Confident Differentiators
35%Committed. Niche-focused. Executing.
Not the biggest agencies. Not the oldest. The most committed. That commitment is the entire difference.
AI-Opportunity Embracers
33%Future-focused. Foundation-light. Running fast.
The most energized about the future. The worst pipeline in the study. The paradox the rest of the industry hasn’t named yet.
Pressured & Uncertain
32%Aware. Overwhelmed. Paralyzed.
They see every shift in the market. They cannot bring themselves to act on one. The most diagnosed segment in the study.
See What Your Mindset Is Doing Wrong
Free. Ungated. No email required.
The client side
We Asked Your Clients Too.
400 of them. They told us what would make them stay. And what would make them go.
Clients aren’t replacing agencies with AI. They’re replacing the agencies that act like AI could.
say their agency makes them more likely to succeed.
plan to reduce that agency relationship in the next 12 months.
want a discount when AI gets involved. The rest want better thinking.
Made possible by the
Community
Agency Core exists because dozens of consultancies, platforms, peer groups, and educators distributed the survey, championed the mission, and brought thoughtful agency leaders into the fold. No selling. No strings. Just research that helps agencies rise, together.
Truth Shared. Not Sold.
We Can’t Make Your Agency Better. Only You Can.
We can show you which agencies are getting better, what they’re doing differently, and which group yours actually belongs to. That’s not advice. That’s a mirror. Use it however you want.
The path is clear. The data is here. Now walk it.
Agency Core exists to put accurate, independent insight in front of every agency. The 2026 study holds that line: an honest look at how agencies are operating, deciding, and evolving.
- No gates
- No sales
- No agenda