Account Management Isn’t Dead. But It Certainly Needs a Revolution.

Every few years, the industry rolls out a shiny new model and declares traditional account management redundant. Outdated. Unnecessary. The buffer we don’t need. The middle layer we can strip out to go faster, leaner, cheaper.

McCann’s latest global CEO in a recent article talked about a significant restructure.  Reorganising around a project-based future. Prioritising delivery. Shifting toward outcome-based pricing and more consultative models. Questioning who does what. (If you haven’t seen it, you can find the article here).

On first glance it appears rather shocking - "As the creative AOR wanes, McCann is investing in project managers as an evolution of the account management function. Whereas account people 'typically do the same task over time,' project managers 'can manage the complexity of 15 projects at a time across very different things,'" Lee said.

But actually thinking about how to structure and the HOW to deliver best is smart. It reflects what we hear from clients every week:

• "Don’t give me a rigid team for a fluid challenge."
• "Don’t overload the squad."
• "Give me pace, flexibility and value."

So here’s the truth: Account management certainly isn’t dead. But the ‘always-on, always in the room’ model? That probably is. And rightly so.

The future isn’t about defending headcount. It’s about designing fit-for-purpose client leadership. Knowing when to dial it up and when to scale it down. Whether it’s a long-term AOR or a one-off sprint, the shape of the role should flex with the work. What needs to be constant is not the role, but the value it brings.

Here’s what the best agencies - and the best client-agency relationships - are already doing to get that right.

1. Tailoring the Team to the Task

Sometimes, a client needs 90% project management and 10% account direction. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. AOR models evolve over time. Project-led work evolves by the week. That’s why flexible resourcing models matter. The best agencies are already doing this - blending delivery and account leadership in modular ways, shaped around the client’s operating rhythm.

But flexibility doesn’t mean invisibility. When clients say they want "less account management," what they often mean is - “Don’t make me pay for a role I can’t see delivering value.”  Or indeed roles. Plural. Organograms don't help when they suggest a sea of job titles from account exec to account manager, senior to group account manager, account director to business partner, managing partner to - you get the picture.

And that’s fair. But that doesn’t mean the role itself is obsolete.

It means we need to make its value unmistakable. And not misunderstood. Or misused.

2. Leading Beyond the Timeline

AAR’s latest Evolution of the Marketing Operating Model (EMOM) research shows what clients really want: pace, agility, seamless cross-functional working - and fewer delays caused by internal process tangles or miscommunication. Yet only 1 in 2 CMOs rate their operating model as ‘high performing’. And one of their top frustrations? Poor briefing and unclear ways of working.

Who’s best placed to fix that?

Not a project manager racing toward next week’s delivery list. Not a strategist deep in the brand platform work. Not the media lead focused on optimising channel spend. Not the analyst buried in the data.

It’s the person who translates strategy into action. Who connects what the client said, what the team heard, and what the work needs to do. The commercial and customer outcomes.

The person who knows how to get things moving - and keep them moving - without sacrificing quality or sanity.  Who has a perspective to NOW, but an eye on NEXT too. Who helps the whole team move fast without breaking trust.

That’s what strong account leadership should do. And in the best client-agency models, that’s exactly what it does do - whether the job title says “Client Partner,” “Business Lead” or “Integrated Lead.”

The orchestrator of momentum

The translator of ambition

The builder of trust

The leader at the centre

Not a relic. Not a luxury. But a role fit for the complexity, pace, and ambition of modern marketing.

In our work assessing client-agency relationships, the most effective partnerships always have one constant: someone playing the leadership role at the intersection of people, process and purpose.

Sometimes they’re called an Account Director. Sometimes they’re not.

What matters is that someone is stepping up to hold the centre. Not a fixer or a buffer, but a leader. And that leadership can’t be free, invisible, or left to chance.

3. Strategic Trust Is a Relationship, Not a Role

Let’s be honest: the pressure on marketing teams is relentless. Every campaign has to perform. Every pound spent has to prove its worth. No one has time for unnecessary meetings or roles that don’t add value. But in this race to streamline, we risk losing something essential if we default to removing account leadership.

Clients still tell us - every month in relationship reviews - how much they value the agency person who gets them. The one who calls it straight. Who knows what’s going on in their world. Who spots the tension between long-term brand ambition and short-term sales targets. Who can hold that commercial and creative tension, constructively. Their GO-TO person. The one they call.  And the one who when they call them - with an ask for 5 minutes of precious time, the clients immediately says yes to.

4. Creating Value Where It Matters Most

McCann’s Global CEO said it himself: “We used to give people proactive ideas, and then get paid for the production. That’s, frankly, a bad way to run a business, because that’s the most valuable thing we do.” He’s right.

Ideas, clarity, momentum; these are high-value outputs.

So why are we still treating the people who drive them as overhead?

Strong account leadership doesn’t just "keep the client happy." It unlocks ideas. Aligns stakeholders. Orchestrates progress. Spots opportunities. Builds commercial confidence - from brief to outcome.

That’s not a luxury. That’s not admin. That’s a strategic multiplier.

But only when it’s done well. And only when it’s right-sized to the need – and the shape of the engagement.

So what’s the revolution?

It’s not about saving the account management department.

It’s about reframing client leadership as a discipline, not a department.

A blend of skills that flexes across fee models, timelines, and team structures. Sometimes high-touch, sometimes light-touch – always high value.

At AAR, we see this every day:

• In relationship reviews that reveal where leadership is missing.
• In agency assessments where too many people do part of the job, but no one owns the bigger picture.
• In client feedback that says, “I don’t know who to call anymore – they seem more interested in selling than understanding my world.”

Account management isn’t redundant. But it can’t be automatic.

It must be earned, adaptable, and intentionally deployed – for the length of the relationship, not just the start.

Let’s stop asking whether it’s dead.

Let’s focus on how we reimagine it, redesign it – and demand more from it.

Because when it works, it’s the difference between chaos and clarity.

Between output and impact.

Between a delivered project – and a lasting partnership.

This isn’t a eulogy. It’s a rallying cry.

Account leadership still matters.

It just needs to evolve as fast as the work it supports.

By Vicky Gillan and Tony Spong, AAR.