Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared what many agency founders and ad industry veterans have known for years: big platforms want to go direct. In a recent interview, Zuckerberg (a.k.a. Meta’s Chief Robot Officer) stated his long-term vision to work directly with advertisers, effectively removing the need for agencies.
The comment, highlighted in a LinkedIn post by David C. Baker, sparked a flurry of thoughtful reactions, many of them from agency owners and marketers who recognize the slow, steady push from platforms to reduce their reliance on outside partners.
This idea is not new. During my time at Google from 2003 to 2010, this mindset was already well-established. Agencies were seen as a necessary evil. Their influence on the allocation of marketing budgets was useful for scaling ad revenue, but ultimately an obstacle to the level of control that Google and Meta preferred. That perspective has not changed. What has changed is the level of sophistication the platforms now bring to making that vision a reality.
As someone who worked on the North American Direct Advertising team at Google and now runs a digital marketing agency focused on the outdoor industry, I’ve seen both sides. And I believe there are real strategic and ethical risks to the assumption that agencies are no longer necessary.
Let’s jump in.
Agencies Have Always Been “In the Way”
Inside companies like Google and Meta, agencies are often seen as complications. They ask tough questions, challenge black-box metrics, and advocate for cross-platform strategies that shift ad dollars away from any single channel.
From a platform’s perspective, the ideal customer is a self-serve advertiser who logs in, sets a budget, and leaves the rest to the algorithm. The rise of automated bidding, AI-generated creative, and end-to-end campaign management is all part of pushing toward that outcome. In this future, there's no agency involved, just a website URL and a credit card.
But Platforms Are Not Service Organizations
This vision assumes that platforms can provide the level of strategy, care, and context that advertisers need to be successful.
Despite their scale and technical brilliance, Google and Meta consistently underdeliver when it comes to service. Delayed responses, offshore account reps, and impersonal outreach are the norm. Even large advertisers struggle to get consistent support. These are not client service organizations. They are product companies, and they will always prioritize shareholder value over advertiser support.
Opaque Reporting and Inflated Metrics
Another risk in going direct is the reliance on platform-reported performance. Meta and Google control the targeting, the placement, and the reporting. They also benefit from presenting performance in the best possible light.
Inflated conversion metrics, duplicate attribution, and selective data are all common tactics. These metrics are rarely wrong, but they are often incomplete. They tell one part of the story and are designed to make the platform look like the hero.
This has created a growing demand for third-party attribution tools and media mix modeling. These tools use AI to evaluate the real contribution of each platform, including halo effects and indirect impact. Agencies play a key role in interpreting these models and helping brands avoid the trap of platform tunnel vision.
Platforms Want 100 Percent of Your Budget
If you ask Meta or Google how much to spend, the answer will always be the same: more. That’s because their job is to increase revenue for the platform, not generate profit for your business.
But the internet is not a walled garden. Your customers exist fluidly across different platforms, content types, and devices. The role of an agency is to look across the entire ecosystem and allocate spend with a strategy that looks beyond any single platform’s priorities.
Platform incentives will always point toward 100 percent budget capture. Agencies serve as a check on that instinct and help brands act in their own best interest.
Regulators Are Closing In
Platforms are not just facing pressure from advertisers. Governments and regulators are increasingly focused on their market power, privacy practices, and competitive behavior. For years, the idea of breaking up or limiting the dominance of Google, Meta, and Amazon was theoretical. Now, it’s entering the realm of policy and enforcement.
While regulatory outcomes take time, the pressure is real. Platforms are being forced to adapt, rethink their data practices, and consider the long-term consequences of monopolistic behaviors. This adds even more volatility to the system. Agencies, by contrast, are well-positioned to help brands adapt quickly, shift budget intelligently, and plan for scenarios that don’t rely on any single platform.
The Future of Agencies Is Strategy, Attribution, and Advocacy
The agency of the future is not just a media buyer. In many ways, that part of the job has already become commoditized. However, the value agencies provide is evolving in meaningful ways. What we offer today looks very different than what we offered 10 years ago, and that’s a good thing.
Leading Agencies are Becoming:
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Strategic partners who understand how marketing fits into broader business goals
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Media mix modelers who know how to balance spend across a fragmented digital landscape
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Attribution interpreters who provide truth beyond the dashboard
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Advocates who represent the brand’s interests, not the platform’s
As platforms get more automated, agencies become more essential. Automation removes complexity, but it also removes control. Agencies help brands regain that control and make smarter, more informed decisions.
Final Thought
Meta and Google will continue to push for a future where they own the full relationship. That is not surprising. But it is also not inevitable.
Brands need partners who understand the countless complexities of digital marketing. They see the big picture, challenge assumptions, and prioritize sustainable growth. Agencies aren’t going anywhere. The smart ones are just getting better.
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Creative Trends Shaping Digital Marketing for Outdoor Brands