Our Monthly Round-up of the key marketing pieces for August includes: – five interesting articles curated for you; an AI, media & podcast section, the Work, & our Back to Henley chapter. This month marketing thought leadership has heavily focused on the maturity of artificial intelligence, shifting discovery architectures, creator-led media, and the critical need for human-centric brand trust.

Our August highlights:

1. Our top pick this month is a piece from Mckinsey on the state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI. Organizations are deploying agentic coding tools and coming to grips with the costs of AI while still seeking to capture more of the benefits that their workers are deriving from their individual use of AI. It’s a really well written, a detailed analysis and a good read that we found interesting.

Here is the link: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai?

2. Secondly, we pick the Annual Report from D&AD on AI in the creative industry. It’s not an argument about how handmade work beats automated work. It’s a warning that AI automation is killing the skills and roles that create future creative leaders. Mockups, putting scripts into research, build the skills that make you a good creative. And now we are seeing a huge drop in under 25’s employed in agencies. The IPA reports that the number of under 25’s in the agency workforce fell 19% in the past year. The killer statement: the junior you don’t hire in 2026 is the senior you won’t have in 2031. With thanks to Tom Morton of Narratory Capital for highlighting this one for us.

Here is the link: https://www.creativeboom.com/news/dad-has-a-stark-message-for-creatives-the-industry-is-eating-itself-from-within/

3. Thirdly, we pick an excellent article from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) on reshaping growth. A seismic shift in consumer behaviour is underway. Five consumer-led themes reveal where demand is heading and where the next wave of growth will emerge. From changing perceptions of value and the rise of single-person households and how AI is increasingly influencing what we buy.

Here is the link: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/five-consumer-shifts-reshaping-growth

4. Fourthly, we pick a ‘Teams piece’ from the Harvard Business Review July-August edition on ‘The Office Amenity That Actually Improves Teamwork’ Research on more than 6,000 knowledge workers suggests that the most effective teams are defined less by office perks or work arrangements than by their ability to protect focused work. High-performing teams deliberately reduce interruptions through focus blocks, meeting-free periods, and systems that minimize constant messaging and check-ins. Rather than emphasizing constant interaction, the best workplaces recognize that collaboration depends on giving people the time and conditions to think deeply, solve problems independently, and contribute better ideas to the group.

Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2026/07/the-office-amenity-that-actually-improves-teamwork?

5. Fifthly, What Does Good Marketing Agency Procurement Actually Look Like? We attended the recent Thames Valley CIPs event in Reading. The theme explored  ‘Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd – Marketing and Agency Meets Procurement’ With insights from Tina Fegent FCIPS, Co-Founder of Marketing Procurement Mastery (MPM), Ruth Kieran, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Joe Public, and Suzie Rook, Head of Group Brand and Design at SSE plc, generated a thought-provoking discussion around how organisations can create more effective agency partnerships. It was a good event and this was the write up by Alex Payne.

Here is the link: https://www.mxpiq.com/what-does-good-marketing-agency-procurement-actually-look-like/

AI: Google’s ATLAS is an expansive look at how people are using AI at work and in day-to-day life. https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/understanding-the-ai-economy/

Media: We came across the Off label written by Ron Ferris. Five structural shifts are rewriting marketing in 2026. AI discovery, creator-led trust, retail media, agentic execution, and IRL presence are changing how brands earn customers. https://www.the-off-label.com/marketing-trends-august-2026/

Podcast: We like to keep things with a local connection. Andrew Schlossberg is the President of Invesco and whilst he spends a lot of time in Atlanta, and the states Perpetual originally hails from Henley. Here he discusses ‘Earning and sustaining trust in the age of AI.’ https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/earning-and-sustaining-trust-in-the-age-of-ai

Time for the Work: It was a quiet month for new campaigns, but it is congrats this month to Stella Artois, and GUT Amsterdam (an agency we know very well) for their perfect serve partnership with Netflix, David Beckham and the new campaign with the new season of The Gentleman Season 2. https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-and-stella-artois-bring-the-perfect-serve-to-the-gentlemen

Back to Henley: We’ve spent most of the Summer in Henley with this vista of the river. Our fortnightly feature in the Henley Standard continues where we interview local entrepreneurs. It’s called Let’s Get Down to Business. We were delighted this month to interview Yasmina Siadatan, a fractional independent business coach – she was the winner of the fifth series of the British television show The Apprentice. https://www.henleystandard.co.uk/section/4331/let-s-get-down-to-business

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Kind regards,

Will