Practice Pulse '26
The agency survey — 2026

How Marketing agencies really run.

We’re researching how marketing & advertising agencies run their business — and this survey will help us build what agency owners actually need. 🙏

Finish it and get instant access to the State of Advertising 2026 Report — built on real data.

◷ Under 5 minutes
◎ Anonymous
🎁 Free report at the end
↻  Continue where you left off

No personal data is required to participate. Optional contact details are used only to share results or arrange an interview.

Your practice
What best describes your place of work? *
An agency — we do marketing / advertising for clients
In-house — I do marketing at a non-marketing company
Solo — freelancer, consultant, or vendor
Please select one to continue.
Your practice
Including yourself, how many people work at the company? *
Just me
2 people
3 – 5 people
6 – 10 people
11 – 16 people
17 – 24 people
25 – 50 people
51 – 100 people
Please select one to continue.
Your practice
Which of these best describes your role? *
Owner or co-owner
Managing partner
Full- or part-time employee
Please select one to continue.
✦
Thanks — you're a little ahead of us.

This round of the survey focuses on small marketing & advertising agencies, and your profile isn't a match for it just yet. The next rounds are already in the works — if you’d like an invite when yours opens, you can leave an email below. Completely voluntary.

✓ Noted — we'll be in touch.

Leaving an email is entirely optional — if you do, it’s used once, for that invite only.

Your practice
What country are you based in? *
If you work remotely, choose the country your company is based in.
Please choose your country to continue.
Your work
Which best describes your professional title? *
Team manager / C-level executive
Marketing professional (PPC / content / social / etc.)
Project / operations manager
PA / office manager
Bookkeeper / accountant / finance manager
HR manager / recruiter
Other
Please select one to continue.
Where it hurts
Rate how frustrating each of these is in your day-to-day *
1 = not at all frustrating  ·  7 = extremely frustrating
Please rate every row before continuing.
Where it hurts
What slows you down most in a typical week? *
Pick up to 3.
Waiting for answers or approvals
Unclear or shifting priorities
Admin — emails, scheduling, paperwork, reporting & status updates
Chasing people for inputs I need
Too many meetings & interruptions
Rework from unclear briefs or last-minute changes
Juggling too many tools & systems
Something else
Please pick at least one to continue.
AI adoption
If your company brought in an AI business assistant — handling admin, follow-ups & tracking — how would you feel about working with it? *
I’d embrace it — bring it on
I’d give it a fair try
Cautious — I’d need to see it work first
Reluctant — I’d rather not
Please select one to continue.
AI adoption
What makes you hesitant? *
Select all that apply.
I don’t trust it to get things right
Worried about what it means for my role
Privacy — I’m not comfortable with what it might see
One more system to learn on top of everything
I prefer working with people
Other
Please pick at least one to continue.
Your practice
How long has your business been operating? *
Less than a year
1 – 2 years
3 – 5 years
6 – 10 years
More than 10 years
Please select one to continue.
Now, let’s get to business
Rate how frustrating each area is for you right now *
1 = not at all frustrating  ·  7 = extremely frustrating
Please rate every row before continuing.
Where it hurts
A few more *
Continuing the previous page — same question.
1 = not at all frustrating  ·  7 = extremely frustrating
Anything that's a real problem for your business and isn't listed? (optional)
Please rate every row before continuing.
🎉 Great news
You’re exactly who we want to hear from — and there’s $100 in it.
Your profile qualifies for our research interviews about how your agency runs day to day — with a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank-you.

Book a meeting at the end of the survey.
Deep dive
✨ Now — the part that matters most!

You flagged a few areas as real frustrations. Let’s zoom in on each one — just two quick taps: who handles it and how much time it eats. This is the part where your answers shape what gets built.

AI adoption
If it were done well — which of these would you feel comfortable letting AI handle? *
Select all that apply.
Please select at least one option to continue.
AI adoption
What's holding you back? *
Select all that apply.
Please pick at least one reason to continue.
Your stack
Which tools does your business actively use? *
Select all that apply.
Please select at least one option (or “None of these”) to continue.
Your stack
Roughly how much does your business pay per month for tools, in total? *
Your best estimate, in US dollars (or the rough equivalent).
Under $50 / mo
$50 – $150 / mo
$151 – $300 / mo
$301 – $500 / mo
$501 – $1,000 / mo
More than $1,000 / mo
Not sure
Please select one to continue.
Your stack
How much would you pay for an AI business assistant — boosting productivity, handling admin & follow-ups, and partnering with you on strategy? *
Per month, in US dollars — for the whole business, not per person. Your honest gut number.
Nothing — I wouldn’t pay for it
Under $50 / mo
$50 – $100 / mo
$101 – $250 / mo
$251 – $500 / mo
More than $500 / mo
Not sure
Please select one to continue.
AI in your week
How often do you use AI tools during your work day? *
ChatGPT, an AI assistant app, AI features inside your tools — any of it.
Every day
A few times a week
About once a week
A few times a month
Rarely
Never
Please select one to continue.
AI adoption
What keeps you from using AI more? *
Select all that apply.
I don’t see where it would help my work
I tried it — the results weren’t good enough
No time to learn it properly
Privacy — I don’t trust it with my work & data
It’s not available or not allowed at work
Other
Please pick at least one to continue.
AI in your week
What do you use AI for? *
Select all that apply.
Content creation — writing, marketing copy
Design or visual assets
Professional research
Business data analysis
Drafting client emails or proposals
Admin — email, calendar, meeting scheduling
Other
Please select at least one to continue.
Day to day
🏁 The home stretch!

Two short questions to go — and these are about you and your week, not your tools.

Day to day
Which of these do you relate to? *
Pick up to 3 that fit best.
Please pick at least one to continue.
Last one
What's your gender? *
Used only for aggregate statistics.
Male
Female
Non-binary
Prefer not to answer
Please select one to finish.
✦

Thank you — genuinely.

Your answers just joined real research from the people who run and power marketing agencies. We’ll share the findings with everyone who took part.

What’s next
Your reward
State of Advertising 2026 Report
Your complimentary copy — real data from the community, ready now.
Get the report →
The report
Practice Pulse '26 — the report
Everything gets compiled into a full report: real data, honest insights, no fluff. Want first access?
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