Agency Business Model Market: Assembly Global CCO Urges Agencies to Embrace Integration, Rethink Commercial Model

Aruna Natarajan, Chief Client Officer for North America at Assembly Global, discusses the need for agencies to treat themselves like brands and adopt integrated organizational structures. She argues that the commercial model tied to media spend must evolve, and that agencies should focus on connecting paid, owned, and earned media. On AI, Natarajan emphasizes distinguishing labor from craft to build agentic workflows that automate routine tasks while elevating human creativity. She also advises that future leaders should possess curiosity, a bias for action, and the ability to connect dots across the funnel. Natarajan is a juror at The Drum Awards Festival.