Why Agencies May Need A Chief Trust Officer

Plus: Marketers’ Use of Generative AI Quadruples in One Year

Author

Zihan Lyu
September 11, 2025

ClickZ Indie Agency News

Here's what's happening this week in the world of indie agencies and performance marketing:
- Empower/Ocean create $1.5B indie media challenger.
- Marketers’ Gen AI usage jumps; efficiency leads, training lags.
- Avoiding pitfalls in AI-driven ad campaigns.

Peak isn’t won with a last-minute conversion push. Fospha data proves that the strongest brands plan full-funnel, measure what platforms miss, forecast into channels with headroom, and track daily performance with confidence.

The Peak Playbook 2025 distills five lessons from Fospha data, including how Footasylum unlocked +32% blended revenue YoY last BFCM, so you can enter Peak ready to win.
Swipe through for the highlights.

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

Empower Media and Ocean Media merged to form Empower Ocean Media Group, a $1.5 billion-billings indie alternative to holding companies while keeping distinct operations but sharing tech, data and procurement. The move counters escalating holdco consolidation and promises speed, transparency and performance. Mid-market brands seeking full-funnel agility and less conflicted buying stand to benefit.

ISBA reports live gen AI use jumped from 9% to 41% in 15 months, with 62% prioritizing efficiency over effectiveness and training lagging behind. The rapid uptake pressures agencies to harden governance, skills and measurement frameworks. Expect client asks to shift toward AI-enabled workflows with clearer ROI and risk controls.

Vodafone tested an AI avatar in a commercial, citing experimentation, though visual and behavioral artifacts underscore current quality limits. For brands and agencies, AI talent points to lower production costs and faster versioning but raises disclosure, brand safety and talent-relations risks. Creative, legal and procurement teams should align on standards before scaling.

⚡QUICK READS

Why Agencies May Need A Chief Trust Officer: Ad Age’s 2030 outlook points to a formal trust role to govern AI, data, disclosure and brand integrity, indicating a shift in agency org design toward risk management and compliance. (More)

Avoiding Pitfalls in AI-Driven Ad Campaigns: Performance Max can mask inefficiencies, but smart tracking, segmentation, and brand-led creative control turn automation into a true accelerator. (More)

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