The Emergence of the Anti-Agency, and the Fall of the Middle Man

An anti-agency, like an anti-hero, stands for both a re-invention of the standard model, and redemption of its efficacy.

With D2C brands on the rise, and connected consumers expecting immediacy and relevancy in the palm of their hand, there’s a growing weariness with the “middle man.” We associate their intercession with bureaucracy, added charges, and diminished value.

It’s no surprise then that we’d see the agency model as a similarly outdated talent broker, a dinosaur in denial. As a result, more talent is opting for the freelance life, and more clients are looking to bring talent in-house, and work directly with individual consultants and creatives, or with recruiting firms that can help facilitate the match.

As VP of marketing at Zen Media, I’ve reflected deeply on this trend, and my team and I have discussed both the way the marketplace is changing, and how we want to adapt. After all, there’s no going back, only forward. After much rumination and research, we’ve realized that what’s needed is an “anti-agency.”

An anti-agency, like an anti-hero, stands for both a re-invention of the standard model, and redemption of its efficacy. An anti-agency is more than a middle-man; it’s a cauldron for critical and creative thinking, and a means of harnessing the power of team work and collaboration to further brands and businesses’ ambitions and work in the world.