Anatomy of an agency chief client officer

December 30, 2025 Amid a growth in project-based work taken on by creative agencies, CCOs are tasked with maturing client relationships from month-long flirtations into the decade-spanning retainers that underpin agency business models. TOP STORY Agency Culture The anatomy of an agency chief client officer Several major agencies have moved to appoint chief client officers to their top cohorts lately. Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Syndication can help publishers reach new audiences, maintain engagement with existing readers, build their brand, generate new revenue and enhance referral traffic — especially if AI is part of the equation. Partner insights from SimpleFeed. During the period from late December to mid- or late January, many consumers are still in the buying mindset, and conversion rates remain high. Partner insights from Meta. There are untapped growth opportunities for brands that foster authentic, sustained connections with Black audiences through meaningful engagement. Partner insights from Urban One. Generative AI The biggest SEO lessons in 2025 for publishers KPIs are changing, more AI search data is becoming available, and publishers are looking beyond search to grow their audiences and revenue. YEAR IN REVIEW The Programmatic Publisher IAB Tech Lab seeks to step up its standards-setting in 2025 with new tools for CTV, AI and a move away from web browsers Organization plans to release 31 new specifications or spec updates in 2025, including new signals for ads in live streaming programming and an API for publishers to pass content to LLMs. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM TIVO How advertisers can utilize the CTV home screen to direct attention Advertisers who invest in reaching viewers on the CTV home screen are catching consumers at a moment of openness. Done right, CTV home screen ads let advertisers reach viewers where discovery meets intent. See how it works The Programmatic Marketer The Trade Desk stumbles, and the ad tech world cheers — maybe too soon One quarter, you're the king of the open internet; the next, you’re fending off existential doubts. The Trade Desk is learning this the hard way. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BETTERUP How leaders are managing the new human-agent hybrid workforce Leaders need new frameworks for handling the human-agent hybrid workforce. This means rethinking foundational assumptions about expertise, collaboration and career development. Advertisement Generative AI WTF are GEO and AEO? (and how they differ from SEO) Future success no longer looks like being top of the blue links on Google's index or any other search engine's – it will center on how to ensure your content gets surfaced in AI answer engines too. Generative AI Inside Unilever's AI beauty marketing assembly line — and its implications for agencies The CPG giant has created an AI-augmented in-house production system. Could it be a template for others? PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM INTENTIQ How alternative IDs are impacting ad performance With marketers and publishers increasingly under pressure to deliver results, it's critical that identity strategies are able to deliver tangible, measurable results. The Creator Economy Former Substack creators say they're earning more on new platforms that offer larger shares of subscription revenue Former Substack writers who exited the platform in early 2024 are making more money on Beehiiv and Ghost thanks to their fixed pricing models. DIGIDAY+ IN REVIEW Member exclusive Pitch deck: Here's how Amazon has been selling its DSP so far this year The 24-page pitch deck for Amazon’s demand-side platform is telling: it puts its off-Amazon's ambitions in black and white. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy