DEPT®

Agencies Turn to AI Agents, Brands Move In‑House

Agencies are showcasing AI agent pilots, partnerships and products to speed media planning and buying — but face competition from advertisers building their own agentic capabilities. WPP is testing a media‑buying and planning agent for premium video, while Dentsu has partnered with Newton Research to trial media‑buying agents and faster analytics via Dentsu.connect. Independent agencies and consultancies such as Butler/Till and Dept are also deploying agent tooling (including Claude agents and a productised 'Agent Studio') and using Google models to accelerate delivery. Advertisers including Hyundai have built in‑house bidding agents with partners (Chalice and Canvas) using a containerized OpenXBuild solution, reporting a 67% reduction in online video CPM and a 20% decline in cost per defined 'high value action' during pilots. The piece cites WFA research on broad in‑house AI adoption and frames the trend as a strategic threat and opportunity for agencies.

Dept launches Deptify orchestration AI assistant

Dept has launched Deptify, an AI system surfaced through a persistent assistant called D that orchestrates existing partner tools rather than replacing them. Dept positions Deptify as an orchestration layer that pulls context from clients' workflow tools (for example Adobe Workfront and Asana) and routes people to the right systems, and it will not charge clients for the tech layer itself — instead billing for input (augmented human), output (asset-based) and outcome (growth-linked bonuses). Dept says Deptify is already deployed across clients that represent about 20% of its global revenue and expects to exceed 80% by Q1 2027. Early commercial interest includes three unnamed clients ready to use it and another agreed after a pitch; Cannes Lions attendees will be able to test it. Dept uses a third‑party tool called Optimal for output effectiveness checks and says it will not pass token costs to clients.

Invisible Workforce Fuels Cannes Lions Logistics

This Digiday feature profiles the behind-the-scenes workforce that enables the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — a temporary, high-pressure logistics economy of concierges, brokers, production crews and hospitality fixers. Companies and individuals (Dept, Akommo, Qautio, Cannes Seaside, Comcast Advertising’s FreeWheel beach, and hospitality entrepreneur Unik Ernest/Culturin) handle last‑minute shipping and customs issues, accommodation sourcing for major platforms, on-the-ground talent needs, venue programming, and invite-only social events. Sources describe recurring incidents (customs delays, infrastructure failures, security and safety responses, late-night concierge calls) and rising accommodation costs. The piece frames Cannes as an ecosystem that depends on adaptive human infrastructure to absorb continuous change during the festival week.