By Kevin Oates
The recent announcement of Golin Ketchum marks another significant moment in the evolution of the communications industry. For communications students and professionals early in their careers, this announcement is significant because Golin and Ketchum have been two of the most celebrated agency brands in the industry for decades—often competing against one another for the same clients, talent, industry recognition and influence within the profession.
As someone who spent 26 years at Ketchum, I have a deep appreciation for what large agencies can accomplish. They have built iconic brands, developed exceptional talent, and delivered world-class work for some of the most recognized companies in the world. Many of the smartest communications professionals I’ve worked with still sit inside those walls today. I am genuinely happy for all of my friends and former colleagues as I learn about their leadership roles inside this new structure.
So I will never critique the people, but I think it’s time to measure the model against the changing economics and talent market in the industry.
Scale is Not a Unique Selling Point
For decades, agency success was built on scale. Larger organizations could offer broader capabilities, deeper benches, geographic reach, and the operational infrastructure needed to serve complex global clients. Scale created competitive advantage.
Today, I’m not sure scale creates advantages:
· Technology has dramatically reduced the friction of collaboration.
· AI has compressed research, analysis, content development, and project management timelines.
· Remote work has normalized distributed teams.
· Clients have become increasingly comfortable working with a close network of specialists rather than relying on a single agency partner for every need.
Clients Face New Challenges
The complexity of our world requires senior counsel at every level, but not necessarily large teams.
Clients need people who see crises before they happen, who have advised boards and CEOs, who know how to construct narratives, manage reputation, prepare executives, and navigate complexity in the AI era. Experience and trust matter more than size and services.
The Talent Market is Experiencing a Structural Shift
More senior talent than ever is choosing independence. Former agency leaders, practice heads, specialists, and strategists are building consulting practices that allow them to work directly with clients while maintaining flexibility and autonomy. In return, clients do not have to invest in large agency overhead to access these senior counselors.
What emerges from that trend may be the next evolution of agency services. Imagine a model that:
· Builds teams around client needs rather than utilization targets.
· Prices work around outcomes rather than hours.
· Uses AI as an operating system, not a replacement for expertise.
· Leverages senior specialists instead of layered hierarchies.
· Maintains low overhead while providing enterprise-level capability.
· Draws talent from anywhere rather than requiring proximity to a specific office.
Here’s Where I’m at Today
Large agencies will continue to serve some types of clients exceptionally well. Global organizations with massive stakeholder ecosystems will always need significant resources and infrastructure.
But there is a need for something different. A model built around expertise rather than scale. A highly networked model rather than a single network. A distributed talent pool rather than a captive one.
The future of communications belongs to organizations capable of combining the flexibility of independent talent with the coordination and accountability clients expect from an experienced partner.
Perhaps the Golin Ketchum news raises a larger question about communications consulting. Does the future belong to those who build the biggest organizations—or those who are networked to build the best teams and deliver the best solutions? Maybe in this new world, there is room for both.
For students and early-career professionals, this shift doesn’t require choosing between traditional agencies and emerging models. It reinforces that the path to success is to develop the skills, judgment, and adaptability that will thrive in either. The most exciting communications jobs of the next decade will be ones we don’t have a title for yet.
Kevin Oates is a former colleague of mine at Ketchum, where he was Managing Director and Head of Communications Training. Last year, he founded his own reputation and media coaching firm,