Inspiring Insights from Conversations that Moved Us This Year

Over the past year, LBB has spoken to some of the industry’s most influential — and outspoken — figures, who have reflected on moments of transition, tension and possibility throughout 2025.

From candid conversations on craft and culture to unfiltered views on AI, leadership and independence, these conversations didn’t just respond to where adland is today but provided some insight into where the industry is heading.

LBB’s Olivia Atkins collates some of the highest performing interviews of 2025 to look back at the insights that lingered, challenged assumptions and, in many cases, reframed the questions the industry is still trying to answer.

The Rise (and Resilience) of Independents

Against the backdrop of the IPG-Omnicom merger, 2025 has also been marked by the rise of independent agencies. Across the globe, a new generation of indies is emerging, challenging traditional hierarchies and redefining what scale and impact can look like in the modern market.

​In his final interview, Ari Weiss said: “It’s a lovely time for independents. The financial crunch that all the larger holding companies are feeling gives a little bit more freedom and a little bit more liberation to the independents. And I think that juxtaposition, that kind of tension between the two, makes it a real moment for the independents. The next handful of years are well set up for the independents. And then the larger holding companies will become flush with cash again, as they always do, and they'll want to buy up the independents at that point, which they always do.”

​Tim Harvey, founder of un-held and former BBH chief growth officer agreed: “Every year we see growth [for indies], and every year we see resistance in them falling back into the holding-co fold. AUNZ is one of the few markets where we rarely muddle ‘small’ and ‘indie’… indies aren’t a size alternative — they are a seismic alternative.”

​Mike Wilton, co-founder of ARK, which founded in mid-2024 said: “Some say a new age of indies is upon us. It certainly feels like we’ve reached an inflection point. New players. New energy. New possibilities. Talent that is hungry to do the boldest work, free from the hierarchies and caution paralysing so many of our network friends. While they cut ‘for efficiency’, we’re building new ways to unleash the magic that this industry still has in buckets.”

AI, Technology and the Gaps It’s Closing — and Creating

Few topics dominated conversations more than AI, not just as a fleeting trend, but as an inevitable force pushing the advertising industry forward, reshaping how work is conceived, produced, and delivered. Generative tools are closing gaps like tight timeframes and small budgets, forcing agencies and production teams to rethink not just how they work, but what they focus on.

​Andrew Robertson, newly-appointed chairman of BBDO Worldwide, said: “For me, the really exciting thing about generative AI is that it transforms our ability to make things. There are three big gaps that often get in the way. Time, money, and ‘It’s impossible’... AI is changing all three. It’s closing the gaps.”

​At SXSW, Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital, warned: “The problem is people are using AI for the wrong things. They're using it on stuff, at least in marketing, that aren't necessarily producing ROI.”

​James Hilditch, founder and creative director at video production company BearJam said: “There was definitely a tipping point a couple of months ago where although generative, AI video was a thing, it was nowhere near production-ready. You could do fun things, and it might work for a shot or a quick moment, but actually that seemed that it suddenly just tipped over for us. Now the quality is good enough to put out."

​Tim LeGallo, Ogilvy North America’s chief production officer, agreed, sharing the agency’s ethos and approach: “We’re keeping up with all of this emerging technology, whether it's AI,VR, AR or virtual production. But I don't want to ever force an execution on an idea because it's something new or innovative that we want to try. If an idea calls for a very simple production, I want to deliver that, because it’s what's going to make it special and interesting. Let the idea drive the execution – and the innovation, if necessary.”

Creativity, Humanity and What Machines Can’t Replace

So where does creativity stand in an era of AI, automation, and ever-accelerating technology? Is there still space for craft, intuition, and human nuance? Many of the year’s most resonant conversations returned to this question, with some of the industry’s greatest minds reflecting on what makes human creativity irreplaceable and how it can continue to thrive.

​Nick Law, creative chairperson at Accenture Song said: “Creativity is the only thing that’s going to be valuable in the AI era,” and the reversal of creativity’s devaluation is the industry’s most urgent task. His advice to creatives was clear: “Take friction away from the mundane and add texture to the human.”

​That belief was shared by David Droga, who said: “What AI cannot replace is the human ability to think strategically, to empathise with consumers, and to create something truly original. The challenge for creatives is to move beyond the middle and focus on work that requires a layer of humanity."

​Legendary director Ridley Scott spoke about the role of craft today: “Being a director ain’t glam,” he said. “If you’re not relentless, you’re not going to get there.”

​Nils Leonard said: “Taste cannot be taught. But what I've learned is it can be really, really helped by the excessive accumulation of high quality inputs. That's a posh way of saying, the more stuff you collect, the more stuff you bring, the more stuff you grab and swipe and take and pull from places, the richer you will be, and the more able you will be to push that taste into everything you do.”

​Greg Greenberg said: “In my opinion, all creatives want three things: the opportunity to do great stuff on great briefs, ambition, and trust. The first two are easier to find. There are various brands and agencies that have opportunity and ambition. But I think trust takes time. Trust with an agency, trust with the people I work with, trust with the client – it takes working on a brand for a long time, repeatedly doing great work, so that you can then bring ideas that maybe aren't fully baked or you aren't even sure if it will work or not. That trust is what allows you to have the room to push the boundaries and do great stuff.”

​Rob Reilly, WPP’s global CCO, summed it up: “Obviously, you want to keep moving forward with innovation and be a great place to work… we are artists and use a tremendous amount of artistry, but we are in the commerce business… It has to work… That’s how we get to do it again.”

People, Culture and Making Space for Life

At the end of the day, some of the year’s most enduring lessons weren’t about AI, production, or scale; they were about people.

​Nadja Lossgott, CCO at AMV BBDO, said: “We’ve always been obsessed with understanding real people. And we’re talking real people — in all their glory, across our nation and beyond. We laugh, cry, and share with our clients’ buyers, shoppers, drinkers, colleagues, constituents, fans, and fanatics to truly get under their skin. That deep understanding — the empathy we build, the curiosity we nurture — is what leads to rich insights that fuel our creative work and the ideas that make a real impact.”

If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that adland will always be in flux. But the year’s most inspiring conversations show that amid change, the industry’s guiding principle remains the same: the work that matters and resonates most is the work that lets us see the world through someone else’s eyes.