Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

Mark Zuckerberg Declares War On The AI Advertising Industry! Here's What Smart Agencies Are Doing Next.

May 20, 2025

The podcast delves into how Meta is trying to cut agencies out of ad management, highlighting a larger trend where AI is taking over traditional marketing roles. Agencies relying on deliverables are on shaky ground, with a call for a shift towards strategic thinking and productized services. Instead of just offering SEO or ad management, agencies need to focus on delivering results, like generating leads for clients within a specific timeframe. The future is about leadership, adaptability, and creating frameworks that scale, not merely executing tasks.

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INSIGHT

AI Threatens Task-Based Agencies

Big tech platforms are building AI tools that fully automate ad campaigns, replacing human roles.
This signals a shift where agencies built on tasks are becoming obsolete.

ANECDOTE

Meta's Direct Approach to Replacing Agencies

Mark Zuckerberg personally tried to take over the speaker's Meta ad account from the agency.
This incident reveals platforms are actively trying to replace agencies using their tools.

INSIGHT

Leadership Trumps Task Execution

Agencies relying only on deliverables and tasks are already being phased out.
Leadership, clarity, and delivering results define the agencies that will survive.

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I’ve been paying an agency to run our Meta ads and for some time Meta itself has been reaching out to take over the account. Let that sink in. The same platform your agency relies on is actively trying to cut you out of the picture.

The worst part? This is just one example of a much bigger shift. Big tech is building tools that create entire campaigns—copy, design, video, testing—without a human in sight. Your strategist? Replaced. Designer? Replaced. Copywriter? Gone.

I get it. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it isn’t necessarily the end of agencies. It’s just the end of the ones that built their model on tasks.

So what’s the future for agencies?

Agencies Built on Tasks Are Already Obsolete

Let’s get real: if you’re still selling deliverables, your agency’s already falling behind. What AI can’t replicate is leadership. At the end of the day clients want results and direction. Smart agencies are not selling tasks anymore. They're selling thinking.

Here’s how they’re staying ahead:

1. Productize the Thinking, Not the Task

Most agencies sell what they do – SEO, ad management – Clients don’t care that you “run Facebook ads.” They want results. Instead of saying “We run ads for local businesses,” say

“We help local gyms get 100 leads in 30 days with a proven 3-step system.”

You just went from vendor to strategic partner that sell a system that scales. Productizing your thinking means turning your knowledge into a framework.

When you package your thinking and your strategy as something like “The 30-Day Lead Domination System” or “The 5-Step Authority Engine” your expertise becomes a product. That’s what scales.

2. Sell Speed and Certainty

Speed is an agency superpower. Most clients aren’t losing to competitors—they’re drowning in indecision. They don’t need more options—they need momentum.

So skip the six-week strategy plan. Instead of saying “We’ll optimize your funnel,” offer quick wins:

“We’ll launch your highest-converting offer by Friday.”

Certainty is what closes deals. Clarity is what makes them stick.

3. Own Your Niche

Generic is dead. The riches are still in the niches. Solve a very specific problem for a very specific group of people. The more specific your promise, the more profitable your agency will become.

4. Use AI—But Don’t Compete With It

Don’t just talk about AI—implement it. Show your clients how to use AI to streamline workflows, automate leads, and improve reporting. Become the AI Sherpa, not the tool.

If you’re not guiding your clients through AI, someone else will.

5. Build Client Community

Want to be irreplaceable? Connect your clients to each other.

Host virtual meetups. Build a mastermind. Facilitate introductions. Create spaces for idea-sharing. AI will never replace real human connection—and your clients are craving it.

We’ve seen this firsthand with the agency mastermind: community is the real secret weapon.

6. Be the Guide, Not the Gun

Execution is cheap. Clarity is priceless.

AI will never replace someone who can build leads. Be the one who filters the noise. Be the coach. Once you step into that role, I can promise you your value will skyrocket.

So, Did Zuck Kill the Agency Model? Not Even Close.

He didn’t kill it—he evolved it. The agencies that lead, think, and adapt will be the ones that thrive. Those that keep selling tasks will get replaced.

Agency Mastermind

Still feel like you’re winging it? You're not alone. Most agency owners hit a plateau because they're stuck in the business, buried in decisions, and disconnected from people who get it. The agencies killing it and scaling faster found out they needed to be in the right room. Go to https://www.agencymastery360.com/agency-mastery and get access to a community of agency owners sharing their data, deals, strategies, and mindset shifts.