Observed Signal · May 21, 2026 · Thought Leadership · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Agentic AI Needs Modular 'Black Book' Marketing
Dan Hagen, Global Chief Data & Technology Officer at Havas, argues in an AdExchanger opinion piece (published May 21, 2026) that marketing should adopt a modular, client-owned approach to agentic AI similar to the shipping-container revolution. He contrasts agency-owned, one-size-fits-all 'black box' solutions with a transparent, modular 'black book' architecture that prioritizes context-specific data (relevance, freshness, rights, cost, geographic validity), interoperability with existing tech stacks, and practitioner-built low/no-code agents. Hagen contends agencies should enable clients to retain their data and IP, let practitioners create practical agents, and reserve engineers to industrialize proven workflows rather than force long-term technology lock-in.
Provides strategic guidance for agencies and marketers on designing modular, interoperable AI workflows; useful framing but not a technical release or major platform policy change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Article authored by Dan Hagen, Global Chief Data & Technology Officer at Havas.
- Published on AdExchanger on 2026-05-21.
- Uses the 1950s shipping-container innovation (credited to Malcom McLean) as an analogy for modularizing marketing systems.
- Introduces the 'black book' concept as a modular, client-owned alternative to agency 'black box' solutions.
- Advocates low- and no-code tools for practitioners to build agentic AI workflows and for engineers to industrialize successful agents.
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