Narrator: Welcome to the Marketing on the Move podcast, hosted by The Breezy Company, your go-to resource to master your marketing while juggling all of the demands of being a business owner. We understand that your time is a limited resource and marketing might be the last thing on your priority list right now. Our mission is to provide you with tangible insights and actionable tactics into the latest marketing trends, best practices, and strategies that you can implement no matter how busy you are. Each episode is designed to offer practical advice on leveraging your unique business strengths and efficiently managing your marketing strategy. Whether you’re tuning in during your morning commute, between meetings, or while on the run, Marketing on the Move is here to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to excel in marketing, even when your schedule is packed. Join us for a journey into making the most of your marketing efforts, no matter how busy you are.
Savannah: Welcome back to Marketing on the Move. Really excited for our guest today, Bob Morris. He is an agency legend. He has been in the creative and agency space for decades, and his experience is such a treat to get to tap into today. So thank you so much for being here, Bob.
Bob: Thank you. No, I really appreciate it. That’s a big intro to the multi. Wow.
Savannah: So give us just a little background on you, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, and then kind of where you’re currently at.
Bob: Yeah. So I spent almost 27 years in the agency space. I tell people that I started when it was like a 1.44 meg disk in like four colors. So I really date myself. I’ve been around a long time. I had a great privilege of being able to kind of move into an executive leadership role at a very young age. So I was 30 years old when I became a partner and president of a firm. And I had a great privilege of being able to kind of run that firm for a number of years and then moved into a CEO role at a different firm. And then I had the opportunity to kind of move into a different space and kind of move into a different role. And so I’ve been in a lot of different roles and a lot of different spaces. And I think that’s what’s been really fun about my career is that I’ve been able to kind of move around and kind of see a lot of different things.
And so I spent almost 27 years in the agency space. And then I had the opportunity to kind of move into a different role. And so I’m currently the CEO of a company called The Marketing Practice. And we’re a B2B marketing agency. And we’re based out of the UK. And we have offices in the US and in Europe. And so I’ve been with The Marketing Practice for about a year and a half now. And it’s been a great opportunity to kind of move into a different space and kind of see a different side of the business.
Savannah: That’s awesome. So you’ve seen a lot of different things over the years. You’ve seen a lot of different trends. You’ve seen a lot of different changes in the industry. What are some of the biggest changes that you’ve seen in the agency space over the last 27 years?
Bob: Yeah, I think the biggest change that I’ve seen is really around the evolution of technology and how technology has really changed the way that we do business. And I think that’s been the biggest change that I’ve seen. And I think that’s been the biggest opportunity that I’ve seen as well. And I think that’s been the biggest challenge that I’ve seen as well.
And so I think when I started in the agency space, it was very much a traditional advertising agency. And it was very much about print and TV and radio. And it was very much about kind of the traditional media channels. And then as technology evolved, we started to see the evolution of digital. And we started to see the evolution of social media. And we started to see the evolution of all of these different channels that we could use to reach our audiences.
And I think that’s been the biggest change that I’ve seen is really around the evolution of technology and how technology has really changed the way that we do business. And I think that’s been the biggest opportunity that I’ve seen as well. And I think that’s been the biggest challenge that I’ve seen as well.
Savannah: Absolutely. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of is that technology is really changing the way that we do business. And I think that’s something that we’re going to continue to see more and more of in the future.
Savannah: So let’s talk a little bit about AI. I think that’s something that’s on everyone’s mind right now. And I think that’s something that’s really changing the way that we do business. And I think that’s something that’s really changing the way that we do marketing. So what are your thoughts on AI and how it’s changing the marketing landscape?
Bob: Yeah, I think AI is really exciting. And I think AI is really going to change the way that we do business. And I think AI is really going to change the way that we do marketing. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of.
And I think the biggest opportunity that I see with AI is really around the ability to be able to personalize at scale. And I think that’s something that we’ve always wanted to be able to do. And I think that’s something that we’ve always struggled to be able to do. And I think AI is really going to allow us to be able to do that.
And I think the other thing that I think is really exciting about AI is really around the ability to be able to analyze data at scale. And I think that’s something that we’ve always wanted to be able to do. And I think that’s something that we’ve always struggled to be able to do. And I think AI is really going to allow us to be able to do that.
And so I think those are the two biggest opportunities that I see with AI. And I think those are the two things that I’m most excited about with AI.
Savannah: Absolutely. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of is that AI is really allowing us to be able to personalize at scale. And I think that’s something that we’ve always wanted to be able to do. And I think that’s something that we’ve always struggled to be able to do.
Savannah: So how do you see AI impacting agency operations? How do you see AI changing the way that agencies do business?
Bob: Yeah, I think AI is going to have a huge impact on agency operations. And I think AI is going to change the way that agencies do business. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of.
And I think the biggest impact that I see with AI is really around the ability to be able to automate a lot of the tasks that we do on a daily basis. And I think that’s something that’s going to free up a lot of time for our teams to be able to focus on the more strategic work. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
And I think the other thing that I think is really exciting about AI is really around the ability to be able to analyze data at scale. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to make better decisions. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
And so I think those are the two biggest impacts that I see with AI on agency operations. And I think those are the two things that I’m most excited about with AI.
Savannah: Absolutely. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of is that AI is really allowing us to be able to automate a lot of the tasks that we do on a daily basis. And I think that’s something that’s going to free up a lot of time for our teams to be able to focus on the more strategic work.
Savannah: So what do you think the future of agencies looks like with AI? Do you think that AI is going to replace agencies? Do you think that AI is going to change the way that agencies do business? What do you think the future looks like?
Bob: Yeah, I don’t think AI is going to replace agencies. I think AI is going to change the way that agencies do business. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of.
And I think the biggest change that I see is really around the ability to be able to deliver better results for our clients. And I think that’s something that AI is going to allow us to be able to do. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to grow our businesses.
And I think the other thing that I think is really exciting about AI is really around the ability to be able to scale our businesses. And I think that’s something that AI is going to allow us to be able to do. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to grow our businesses.
And so I think those are the two biggest changes that I see with AI. And I think those are the two things that I’m most excited about with AI.
Savannah: I think what excites me about it is that we can actually have, you know, we can have team members who are really good at what they do, and we can give them tools that make them even better. And I think that’s something that’s really exciting. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
Bob: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that’s the key is that we’re not replacing people. We’re augmenting people. And I think that’s the key is that we’re giving people the tools that they need to be able to do their jobs better. And I think that’s the key is that we’re giving people the tools that they need to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
Savannah: So what are some of the AI tools that you’re using right now? What are some of the AI tools that you’re excited about? What are some of the AI tools that you think agencies should be using?
Bob: Yeah, I think there are a lot of great AI tools out there. And I think there are a lot of great AI tools that agencies should be using. And I think the key is to find the right tools for your business.
And I think the biggest thing that I would say is that you need to start experimenting. And I think you need to start testing. And I think you need to start learning. And I think that’s the key is that you need to start experimenting and testing and learning.
And I think the other thing that I would say is that you need to start thinking about how you can use AI to solve problems. And I think that’s the key is that you need to start thinking about how you can use AI to solve problems for your clients. And I think that’s the key is that you need to start thinking about how you can use AI to solve problems for your business.
And so I think those are the two biggest things that I would say. And I think those are the two things that I’m most excited about with AI.
Savannah: Absolutely. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of is that agencies are starting to experiment with AI. And I think that’s something that’s really exciting. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
Savannah: So let’s talk a little bit about efficiency. I think that’s something that’s on everyone’s mind right now. And I think that’s something that AI can really help with. So how do you see AI helping agencies become more efficient?
Bob: Yeah, I think AI is going to have a huge impact on efficiency. And I think AI is going to allow agencies to become more efficient. And I think that’s something that we’re seeing more and more of.
And I think the biggest impact that I see with AI is really around the ability to be able to automate a lot of the tasks that we do on a daily basis. And I think that’s something that’s going to free up a lot of time for our teams to be able to focus on the more strategic work. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
And I think the other thing that I think is really exciting about AI is really around the ability to be able to analyze data at scale. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to make better decisions. And I think that’s something that’s going to allow us to be able to deliver better results for our clients.
And so I think those are the two biggest impacts that I see with AI on efficiency. And I think those are the two things that I’m most excited about with AI.
And I think what’s really exciting is that we can have an agency today that does $20 million in revenue with 80 people. And a year from now, that 80-person shop should be able to do $30 million. They didn’t have to add people, right? Or if they did, they didn’t have to scale it the same way that they historically had to scale, which was kind of on a one-to-one linear basis.
So I don’t see an endemic risk. I see it as real opportunity to be able to do some amazing things.
Savannah: You know, one thing I really love about, I’ll just say this to finish, that we can have staff members and employees of ours right now, they can keep their same workload and we can even increase their pay, but get them more help in a more affordable way with these tools. So that also just like their capacity, they don’t have to just take on more work just to be able to keep pace. You know what I mean? Because there’s also, there is that burden of like what’s on your brain, how many projects you have on your plate, how many clients you’re working with, those sorts of things. Adding tools allows us a very affordable way to enhance their productivity and creativity, making their life easier. So then it almost becomes like a leadership conversation because all of a sudden you’re creating better culture, you’re creating better workflows, and just the environment becomes better because you’re not having to put so much on people while also trying to, you know, manage risk and profits and everything else.
Bob: Well, and I think, I mean, one last quick note on that. I mean, if you really think about it, there’s a difference between like, oh, I use ChatGPT and then having like a fully agentic structure, right? I have agent interaction and I have the ability to be able to have an agent that actually understands, as an example, the depth of the financial component of the analysis. Where I have another one very tied to creative and creative asset development and production and or ideation. All those pieces kind of working in tandem with one another, it is kind of the equivalence of being able to say, hey, look, you know, this would have been a team of six people. And today it really only requires a team of two to actually have to work on that problem.
Again, it doesn’t mean that the jobs aren’t there. It just means you can spread those teams much wider and allow them to do some work, right? But we still have a ton of agencies that are sitting out there that are like, you know, the furthest they’ve gotten to is, you know, well, we got a couple of people who use ChatGPT and a couple of people who use, you know, Perplexity and a couple of people who you’re like, what are you really doing as a firm to try to make that leap, right?
Savannah: Yeah, right.
Bob: Yeah, I think we’re just at a real inflection point.
Savannah: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for your time, Bob, and for your insights. Really, really appreciate it. It was really fun chatting with you and we’ll see you next time on Marketing on the Move.
Bob: Sounds good.
Narrator: Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Marketing on the Move. If you’re looking for more ways to improve your marketing and build a scalable system to help your business grow, check out TheBreezingCompany.co or any of the resources linked in today’s show notes.
