Is your agency model driving growth or quietly holding it back? AAR Group’s Rebecca Nunneley and Hannah Astill spoke to Little Black Book to explore why intentional agency design is the secret to navigating today’s complex marketing ecosystems. lbbonline.com/news/AAR-age...

Thrilled to welcome Tobi Asare as Growth Partner, and congratulate Rebecca Nunneley and Hannah Astill on their well-earned promotions - alongside a deepened partnership with Paul Stevenson🎉 aargroup.co.uk/insights/new...

Most marketing teams are still fighting uphill against broken fundamentals - but this is something agency partners have the skills & expertise to help change. Paul Stevenson explains why agencies can still win out when they act as transformation partners aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

AI strengthens what's already there – for better or worse. Click below to learn why the real AI opportunity sits across the People, Process, Partners, and Platforms of the marketing operating model - but you need to get the foundations right first. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

What does exceptional client leadership look like today? For Vicky Gillan, turning the lens of performance review inwards isn’t about blame or appeasement. It’s understanding that client leadership is the ultimate force multiplier. Read more below. www.linkedin.com/pulse/most-v...

In this article, Paul Phillips wonders if it’s time for a more streamlined approach to pitching that saves time, money and resources. Find out what it is (and how much he’d wager on it actually happening!) below. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Competition is crowding agencies from every quarter, while client-side marketers battle relentless pressure to deliver more relevance, more personalisation and more efficiency. In this landscape, the opportunities for agencies lie upstream. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

One to watch out for this year💡A new research initiative - ReModel: Tales of Marketing Transformation. Across six candid filmed conversations, some of today’s most influential marketing leaders will share what it really takes to drive transformation. Launching 3rd March🎯

When it comes to designing a marketing operating model that seamlessly delivers, AI can’t fix broken foundations - if the friction is already there, it’s likely to accelerate it. Read the latest from Cristiana Spataru to learn where the real AI opportunity lies. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

“Behind almost every pitch now lies a hidden brief: help me deliver this change successfully.” The role of agencies is changing. Rebecca Nunneley looks at why, in an era defined by transformation, human-led creativity is their ultimate edge. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

AAR’s annual new-business report shows a 10% year-on-year decline in the market in 2025, but as reported by Campaign UK, there's been one sector that's bucking the trend. Read more below. www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/aar-...

When work feels harder than it should, it’s rarely because of too much process. More often, it’s the wrong process. 🔗 Discover how the right process helps teams align, decide faster, and make room for ideas that land. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

61% of CMOs may run a pitch in 2026, but is that really about dissatisfaction? Hannah Astill argues it’s more about internal remodelling and filling capability gaps as brands rethink how they operate and utilise data. Read more in @Campaignmag below. www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/reve...

How can media agencies stay indispensable in a changing world? AAR Partner and Media Lead Consultant Hannah Astill shares what vital ground agency leaders need to reclaim in the face of greater competition and an evolving agency model. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

What’s the secret to keeping up with the demands of modern marketing? AAR’s Brand Strategy Lead Consultant, Tony Spong, explores how authenticity, intention, and respect for the audience’s time & attention are differentiators in an increasingly busy world aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

When the pace gets faster than what’s good for brands, agencies and consumers, is it time to turn the tide? According to Tony Spong, rather than racing to half-deliver, Slow Marketing might just be the key to cultural relevance and lasting relationships. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Have you had to jump into 2026 with both feet? If the Christmas break already feels like a distant memory, listen to this episode of the Slow the F*ck Down podcast, which unpacks the pressure facing the marketing industry with much-needed camaraderie and advice. shows.acast.com/slow-the-fck...

As marketing leaders plan for 2026, many will be lining up new tools, platforms & operating model changes. But transformation doesn’t succeed on tech alone. Here, Vicky Gillan and Tony Spong explain why mindset, behaviour & adoption are the keys to successful change aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Welcome back, and happy New Year. Now in the second half of the decade, 2026 brings fresh questions and renewed focus for the marketing community. We’re looking forward to exploring them together, and connecting with the amazing professionals who make our industry such a fantastic place to work.

After another fantastic year at AAR, it’s time to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to our wonderful marketing community 🎄🎁 We're looking forward to sharing some exciting news with you in the new year - see you in 2026!

Ever got a puppy Christmas? Vicky Gillan has — and, alongside Tony Spong, uses the experience as a reminder that great client–agency chemistry is for the long haul, not just that first sparkly campaign. Read for lots of great advice & a little festive cheer! aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Check in with Andrew Bloch and PRmoment as he reports on what’s been a very buoyant month in the PR pitch and M&A landscape. www.prmoment.com/podcasts/dec...

With jingle bells sounding in the distance, it’s the time of year for looking back, and one of the dominating themes of 2025 was the challenges and opportunities that came with blending media and creative 👇 aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

If you’re weighing up next steps for your in-house agency in 2026, this is a smart place to start. Whether your IHA needs a reset, a reframe or a rethink, the challenge isn’t just a resourcing question - it’s a strategic one. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

CMOs should be ideally placed to step into CEO roles, yet many are still held back by structural blockers and the expanding demands of modern marketing. Victoria Fox explores how CMOs can strengthen their strategic voice and unlock their path to CEO. lbbonline.com/news/Leaders...

Too often, we view a "reset" as a sign of failure. A signal that things are broken. But AAR Lead Consultant Vicky Gillan argues the opposite. A reset is about creating space for honesty, clarity, and course correction before the drift sets in. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Every marketer is feeling the pressure and working at full capacity. Vicky Gillan & Paul Phillips dig into strategies to create breathing space, not by slowing down, but by setting clearer boundaries, triaging demand, and saying “yes, if…” instead of “yes, always.” aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

ICYMI 👉 Victoria Fox and Sophie Devonshire joined Emma Harris on her brand new podcast - Slow the F*ck Down - to discuss how various factors have combined to create a "velocity vortex” and the leadership skills needed to navigate it. www.thedrum.com/podcast/soph...

Are you stuck in the doom loop of “movement without progress”? When constant motion and mounting pressure fail to deliver impact, marketer burnout is almost inevitable. So how can you escape the “triple trap” of no time, no budget and no trust? aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Is the blending of media and creative causing you headaches? Rebecca Nunneley and Hannah Astill explored the conundrum in their article, taking a look at both the challenges and opportunities. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Pitches get longer when complexity creeps in. Too many stakeholders. Shifting priorities. Endless rounds to prove a “thorough” decision. As Rebecca Nunneley says in Campaign UK: focus on clarity, strategy and purpose, and you’ll get to better outcomes, faster www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/pitc...

Marketing isn’t short of talent or ideas. It’s short of time, budget, and trust. Is the triple trap leaving you spinning your wheels - busy, exhausted, and struggling to make a real impact? Here's how to escape. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Did you catch @andrewbloch.bsky.social on Founders Future? Over an interesting discussion, Andrew pulled back the curtain on how to scale, stand out, and ultimately sell an agency 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/5GWO...

ICYMI: AAR’s Vicky Gillan explained why, when it comes to multi-agency collaboration, brand leaders need to become a conductor that brings together the full symphony 🎶 aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Our Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model report shows that, in the age of AI, CMOs aren’t just investing in new tech - they’re rethinking how they use what they already have 🤖 aargroup.co.uk/marketing-op...

We often think of agencies working to win a pitch - but brand leaders need to think about how they ace a pitch too. The holy grail of agency selection is forming a partnership that delivers success for years to come, and this doesn’t happen by accident👇 aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

At first glance, agencies can appear pretty much the same 👀 But with 50 years’ experience — as the world’s oldest intermediary helping brands appoint agencies — we know the real differences lie in the people 👥 and the culture 🌱. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

ICYMI: AAR have launched a new peer-to-peer community, developed with changeforce, for agency leaders. Here, AAR agency subscribers can: 💡Share knowledge 💡Access real-time insights 💡Tackle the challenges of a complex marketing landscape. aargroup.co.uk/insights/new...

Most marketers were never taught how to write a strong brief, so it’s no surprise that teams often lose time, money & momentum. Vicky Gillan argues it’s time we stop treating briefing as admin & start seeing it as ignition. Her article explains why—check it out below. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

This morning, we had the pleasure of welcoming our agency subscribers to an exclusive breakfast at The Ivy Club☕ At AAR, we sit at the intersection of brands and agencies. That perspective gives us a unique view of the opportunities for agencies to adapt, grow, and lead transformation.

Most marketing teams still struggle with poor briefs. The consequences? Confused teams, wasted budgets, delayed launches, and diluted impact - again and again. Now is the time to fix the root cause, not the symptoms. Every great campaign starts here. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

ICYMI: Why brands are paying more for agency partners Cost isn’t the only factor anymore. With growing complexity across channels, data, and content, brands are prioritising partners who can add strategic value, integrate technology, and drive impact. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

When marketing transformation fails, it might not be because the tools are wrong. It might be because you haven’t accounted for human nature. Want to find out more? Tony Spong and Vicky Gillan share their thoughts below. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

🌟 Proud moment for AAR and Victoria Fox 🌟 We're pleased to share that AAR CEO Victoria Fox has joined the Board of Trustees at the History of Advertising Trust (HAT), just as the charity approaches its 50th anniversary. www.hatads.org.uk/news/239/His...

Marketing transformation isn’t a tidy, linear thing. For Vicky Gillan and Tony Spong, there’s one categorical truth in successful change - without a shift in mindset, even the most expensive tech or elegant process redesign can fall flat. Article below. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

Today’s CMO needs commercial and financial acumen, operational know-how, and leadership across an ever-widening set of specialisms. But complexity shouldn’t distract from the fundamentals. We explore more below. aargroup.co.uk/marketing-op...

CMOs are rethinking their agency models to face evolving challenges. In Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model, we surveyed 100 CMOs and interviewed several marketing leaders to answer key questions. Download below. aargroup.co.uk/marketing-op...

Many marketers believe process slows teams down and stifles creativity. In reality, the right process does the opposite. Learn how aligning strategy and process gives teams clarity, confidence, and momentum - so creativity can thrive. aargroup.co.uk/insights/vie...

The demands of modern marketing have created layers of nuance in the partner ecosystem - from models within models to the push/pull between in-housing & re-outsourcing. AAR’s Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model takes a dive into modern agency models. aargroup.co.uk/marketing-op...

AAR's report explains why the concept of the ‘T-shaped’ and ‘M-shaped’ marketers has arguably never been more important - helping CMOs navigate complexity without losing sight of the core marketing principles that drive brand and business growth. aargroup.co.uk/marketing-op...