Leadership interviews and practical, rich insight from global marketing,creative, production, procurement, and in-house leaders. FROM STRATEGY TO ACTION As AI shapes how organizations think, plan, andoperate, we set out to explore its growing impacton creative production by interviewing globalmarketing, creative, production, procurement, andin-house leaders to discuss strategy, operatingmodels, automation and evolving talent and skills. CONTENTS 4INTRODUCTION7APPROACH12LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: ALIGNING STRATEGY, CREATIVE & PRODUCTION17LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: OPERATING MODEL & SCALE22SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH KERRY MATTO, JUST EAT TAKEAWAY.COM27LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: AI, AUTOMATION & TECHNOLOGY ENABLEMENT35WFA INSIGHTS: LAURA FORCETTI40LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: TALENT & SKILLS44LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: REDESIGNING YOUR PRODUCTION STRATEGY47CONCLUSION48ABOUT US49ABOUT THE AUTHOR INTRODUCTION Creative production is experiencing a profound shift. AI is rewritingthe rule book, challenging brands, in-house teams, agencies, andproduction partners to rethink how content is created, produced,managed, shared, and valued. The next wave of creative productionleaders will be as comfortable discussingcreativity, authenticity, and delivery asthey are presenting commercial impactand leveraging data enrichment toinform creative strategies, deliver micro-personalization, and AI curated micro-journeys. Operating models are becoming fluid,more adaptive ecosystems, continuallyredesigned and refined to keep up withthe pace of change. There is now a demand for newroles, including AI operators, creativetechnologists, and prompt engineers,while production leaders grapple with thechallenge of integrating automation andagentic AI into human-centric processes. They will embrace the opportunity tomove to a world where volume-basedproduction tasks can be handled throughautonomous “self-service” models,delivering huge levels of productionefficiency and agility. For many, creative production is movingfrom a service function to a strategicgrowth enabler. With strong leadership support, the share ofemployees who feel positive about generative AIhas risen from 15% to 55%. WWW.BCG.COM The ongoing alignment of marketingoperations and creative operations willenable the seamless movement of assetsthrough the MarTech stack and productionplatforms, ensuring greater speed tomarket, better market responsiveness,and enhanced brand consistency, therebyincreasing certainty that AI and technologyinvestments are being fully maximized.“ Content production is being reshaped.WFA data from Q1 2025 shows thattwo in three global brands havechanged their content productionmodel in the past five years. AI will transform how we work, buteverything needs a human element. Thesenior team have been excellent about thepositives of AI, and that’s really filtereddown. Nearly a quarter are planning furtherchanges, while over two-thirds havealready implemented them. Our teams are seeing how AI can make apositive difference, make their lives betterand enrich it. Not just operationally in myteam, but generatively as well, acrossdesign, art direction, localisation and copy- where it can really empower them. LAURA FORCETTI, WFA KERRY MATTO, JUST EAT TAKEAWAY.COM The hybrid model is currently the most utilizedin-house model that sits between cost center andvalue center. NOW AND NEXT FOR IN-HOUSE CREATIVE PRODUCTION As in-house teams continue to mature, moretransparent costing and performance managementis needed. The move to a value center will becomea strategic imperative for many in-house leaders. •100% budget funded•No rates, no chargebacks•Success based on delivery &brand consistency•Seen as an execution partner COSTCENTER •Mapping volume, resource,utilization•Track annualized savings•Basic rate card for repeatableassets•Compare internal v externalcost benchmarks HYBRIDMODEL •Full transparency on costs,savings, productivity &utilization•Clear ROI frameworks•Ability to reinvest in talent,tech & innovation•Strategic contributor VALUECENTER APPROACH To further corroborate our hunches, discussreal-life experiences and garner actionableinsights, we engaged and intervieweda host of senior leaders in marketing,creative, production, procurement, and in-house sectors. This “Industry Voices” reporthas been sponsored by: TKM Consultants work with CEOs, senior marketers and agencyowners around the globe to understand and share the latestbusiness insight and consumer trends impacting marketing,advertising, creative services, technology solutions, and AI in allits forms. Our interview questions exploredseveral core themes including: Aligning strategy, creativity& production Evolving operatingmodels & scale the talent mix and technology stack.Automation, AI, and connected dataplatforms are enabling new levels ofefficiency and intelligent content, whilehybrid production models of in-house,nearshore, offshore and Smartshoring®services are growing and redefiningwhere and how