Seven months in: Justin Thomas-Copeland’s plan to futureproof the 4As – and the industry

“The first few months… have been really staying closely connected to the dynamic of the industry,” he tells The Drum. “And then using it as a platform for our relevance as the 4As to be brought to the fore in different ways.”

Since officially stepping into the role in May, Thomas-Copeland has taken a listening-first approach, racking up face time with agencies across the country. “I’ve met nearly 60 agency owners in the past five weeks – founders and CEOs,” he says. “It’s been about listening, learning, understanding where our members are, and looking at the broader industry – including non-members – and the challenges they’re facing.”

The result, he says, is a growing awareness that the disruption sweeping through the business isn’t surface-level or isolated. “It’s not something that is sort of either regional or a little point in time with a bit of disruption. This is really systemic.”

The most pressing challenge - by a wide margin - is talent. And not just acquiring it but defining what it even means in a post-AI world. “Talent is something that just comes up again and again and again,” he says. “A talent strategy is more important than ever – attracting talent, keeping talent, and getting talent to prosper.”

One of his first moves was to appoint Sylvia Banderas as EVP of People, Talent and Upskilling. “I wanted to make sure I had someone who was really focused on that every day, because I know it is such a challenge and such an important aspect of agencies’ wellbeing going forward.”

Banderas, he says, brings both agency experience and a deep understanding of talent dynamics – and she’s already begun working with partners to shape how the 4As can support members as they rethink the makeup of their teams. “It isn’t point solutions time,” he says. “It’s much more of a strategic, what is the shape of the agency world?”

That question of shape also applies to how agencies are deploying artificial intelligence. Thomas-Copeland says the conversation has matured quickly. “It’s really around the application of AI. So how and where are agencies applying AI?”

He sees four main areas emerging: workflow automation, audience insight, content production (especially at scale), and reporting. “The production side is where I see the most application. Ideation is less so – because of IP, ownership, copyright,” he explains. “There’s a little bit of reticence there.”

Still, AI is clearly redrawing the lines of agency-client value. “The value barometer is definitely moving around a bit at the moment,” he says. “There’s much more autonomy for clients. Many more intelligent solutions. And that should clear a broader pathway for agencies to add real business value – but they’ve got to know what that value is and be really clear about it.”

If that sounds like a recurring theme, it is. “That’s always been the brief,” he says. “But now it’s intensified.”

Another area under scrutiny is pitching. The 4As has conducted two studies on the cost of pitches, and the findings are stark. “In the second wave, it was shown that the average pitch costs over $400,000 for an agency,” he says. “That’s a big investment.”

He believes the process must evolve to reflect both economic and technological realities. “Can you manage the early parts of the pitch, where you’re really information gathering? Can you manage that more machine-to-machine? And then the pitch itself becomes more of a human, multi-modal, integrated experience.”

That rethinking must also apply to the 4As itself. “We’d be remiss if we thought we were immune to many of these changes,” he says. “We have a strategy of how we want to move forward.”

He calls the evolving model “4As as a service” – a shift in mindset and infrastructure to make the organization more agile, tech-savvy, and embedded in members’ daily challenges. “We’re looking at intelligent solutions we can develop for our agencies. How can we use technology to give faster access to resources? How can we provide peer-to-peer insight at speed?”

Much of that insight has been gathered in the field – directly. “I’ve been privileged to speak to nearly 60 CEOs and founders. And agencies want to see the ‘so what’ of that. So how do we disseminate that at a time when they really want peer-to-peer intel?”

As ever, talent remains top of mind. “If you were to push me into a corner, I would probably say talent, because I think it’s still a talent-based business. Different shape. Different amount. But you still need talent to drive differentiated work.”

Asked what trends he sees for 2026 and beyond, he doesn’t reach for buzzwords, but points to what’s already happening: agencies acting as tech resellers; continued in-housing by clients (but not total self-sufficiency); a rise in small, specialized shops that can plug in and out of larger ecosystems; and creativity shaped not just by tools, but by cultural shifts in how brands communicate.

“It’s going to evolve. Not just because of the tools,” he says. “You’ve got the creator economy, influencers, other parties shaping how brands show up. The aesthetic of creativity is evolving, and it’s not just happening inside agencies.”

Still, he’s bullish on the fundamentals. “I do believe we’re still going to need people. We’re still going to need creativity. We’re still going to have brands.”

And the role of the 4As in all of that?

“Our job,” he says, “is to listen to agencies, stay connected to the industry, have a point of view, lean into all the changes - and reimagine ourselves in the midst of that change. Not outside it.”

As for the long game?

“The brief,” he says with a grin, “is to make sure we’re still here, 108 years from now.”