Innovation as a Survival Instinct: Insights from Better Together's ‘Successful New Models’ Panel

The advertising industry is undergoing profound changes, and collaboration, adaptability and technological integration are front of mind for those who want to survive. Little Black Book’s Better Together event in London last week brought together industry leaders to talk about it.

‘Successful New Models: A Deep Dive into Innovative Marketing’ was one of the panels that discussed how traditional agency models are being reimagined. Led by LBB’s CEO and founder Matt Cooper, it looked at some of the companies breaking the mould and redefining themselves to meet the new industry demands.

Panellists included: Amina Folarin (UK CEO of Oliver), Aidan Darné (VP and head of global production for Shutterstock), Rochelle Palmer (managing director of Untold Studios), Emma Harman (President of EMEA at The Whalar Group), and Andrew Swinand (CEO of ITG). Here’s an inside look at the challenges, innovations, and forward-looking strategies they shared.

Each panellist began by recounting the inspiration behind their companies. Rochelle Palmer from Untold Studios highlighted the driving forces that launched her company: “It’s all about the push and the pull. The push came from dissatisfaction with the status quo, the pull is an unmet need you see out there.” This drive to reshape and innovate lies at the heart of Untold’s creative process, explained Rochelle, emphasising autonomy and collaboration as vital to the company, without forcing teams together. 

Aidan Darné of Shutterstock reflected on the company’s journey from being a well-known brand to a comprehensive creative partner with solutions that simplify complex processes. Known for its vast content library, Shutterstock has strategically pivoted by acquiring companies like TurboSquid and Giphy, offering clients 3D content and creative distribution solutions. Capturing Shutterstock’s dual nature, Aidan joked: “The good news is that everybody has heard of Shutterstock, and that’s also the bad news.”

Whalar’s Emma Harman emphasised how the company’s early reliance on influencer marketing shaped its mission to support creator-brand collaborations. Whalar now focuses on nurturing influencers and helping brands navigate social media by fostering authentic connections and engagement.

ITG’s CEO Andrew Swinand, formerly with Publicis, saw a market gap for helping brands simplify content production, so he knew it was time for ITG to be born. ITG uses AI to eliminate redundancy, consolidate data, and streamline workflows. As Andrew explained, “People don’t really need to put a monkey drinking a Coke on a horse. What AI needs to do is rearrange large amounts of data.”

Technology – particularly AI – has been a double-edged sword for these companies, offering both challenges and opportunities. Aidan noted that while generative AI is sometimes perceived as a threat to Shutterstock’s traditional model, the company has embraced AI at every production stage, enhancing efficiency and aligning its vast content library with cutting-edge tech. “For the sake of production processes, we embrace it fully,” he noted.

Emma Harman emphasised that “human craft and creativity will always rise to the top,” even as AI and automation become standard. Emma’s perspective aligns with Whalar’s mission to match brands with creators who understand niche communities shaped in the depths of the for you page, where brands need to be authentically present, rather than broad demographics based on old-day metrics such as age or geography. For instance, “Nike is in only two communities right now, but it needs to be in so many more.” Her team uses a method she called “community landscaping” to identify digital groups and the key influencers within them.

Rochelle Palmer described Untold’s resilience in the face of challenges turned opportunity, such as covid-19 and the recent economic downturn. What’s the opportunity? To solidify the company’s identity. “There will always be market forces that work against you,” Rochelle remarked, “it’s about how you adapt to them.” This adaptability has also been vital for Andrew Swinand, who emphasised how ITG’s AI-driven tools are reducing content redundancy by optimising workflow management. 

Building close client relationships was another key focus of the discussion. Amina Folarin from Oliver highlighted a longstanding partnership with Unilever, in which Oliver helped the brand reduce marketing costs by 30% year-on-year through in-house agency solutions. This approach has proven effective for clients seeking bespoke, cost-effective solutions in an increasingly competitive market.

Emma Harman reflected on Whalar’s work with Diageo, a project designed to reach unconventional audiences through unique, culture-driven content. This approach, she explained, “bypasses traditional target audiences and understands the communities formed on the internet,” resonating deeply with Whalar’s emphasis on authenticity and connection. 

Andrew Swinand shared the successes ITG has achieved by leveraging technology to manage and streamline content. He noted that, according to their data, “60% of all creative content is never used, and 80% of content in a DAM (digital asset management) is never picked up.” For companies like Heineken and Wix, AI-based tools such as meta tagging and tracking have become game-changers, freeing up resources that can be reinvested in more creative ventures.

As the discussion wrapped up, the panellists shared their visions for the future. Amina highlighted Oliver’s continued commitment to building in-house agencies for clients, while Aidan Darné expressed a desire to expand Shutterstock’s services into gaming. Partnerships with companies like NVIDIA, he suggested, would open doors for the next era of content creation. 

Rochelle underlined Untold’s ambition to “grow the very best creative studio in the world,” while Emma spoke of Whalar’s goal to become a “creative powerhouse.” Andrew, in turn, mentioned ITG’s upcoming expansion plans into the US, a move that he believes will bring ITG’s efficiency-based model to a wider audience.

Highlighting themes of trust and creativity, like many talks did during the day, this panel underscored how these industry leaders are not only redefining their roles but are also setting new standards in an ever-changing advertising landscape.