Susan Pfeifer

I’ve been thinking a lot about productivity lately. Specifically, how much time we’re all spending trying to save time.

We’re automating tasks, experimenting with AI tools and finding new ways to get things done faster. And in many cases, it’s working. Work that used to take hours can now take minutes.

That’s exciting. But it raises a question I don’t think we’re spending enough time on: What are we actually doing with all that time we’re saving?

I recently attended MAICON 2026 (the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference), where much of the conversation centered on how quickly AI capabilities are advancing. One idea that stuck with me was the distinction between keeping humans in the loop and putting humans in the lead.

It got me thinking about what AI transformation really looks like inside an organization. Because while technology is moving quickly, the way we organize our work, share information and make decisions hasn’t necessarily caught up.

And that’s where I think the bigger opportunity lies.

Productivity isn’t the same as progress

Most conversations about AI in business start with efficiency. How many hours can we save? How many processes can we automate? How much more can our teams accomplish?

Those are fair questions. As someone who works in operations, I’m certainly not going to argue against making things more efficient, but efficiency is only part of the equation.

Take something as straightforward as reporting. An operations manager might spend a significant amount of time gathering data from different systems, organizing it and building a dashboard that helps leadership understand what’s happening across the business. AI can make parts of that process dramatically easier. Information can be organized, visualized and surfaced more quickly, giving teams faster access to what they need.

But the real opportunity isn’t just producing the dashboard in less time. It’s giving that operations manager more room to interpret the information, spot potential problems, understand what’s driving performance and help the business make better decisions.

‍The value isn’t simply in getting to the information faster. It’s in what we do once we have it. And I think that principle applies well beyond operations.

‍Humans in the lead, not just in the loop

One of the recurring themes at MAICON was the importance of human involvement as AI becomes more capable. We’ve all heard the phrase “human in the loop.” And for good reason. Human oversight matters, particularly when the work involves judgment, accountability or decisions with real consequences. But there’s a difference between having someone review what AI produces and having someone actively lead what AI helps make possible.

At VSA, this distinction is especially relevant to creative work. AI can be a powerful tool for exploring, visualizing, iterating and bringing ideas to life. But the strategic insight, imagination, cultural understanding and creative direction behind meaningful work come from people.

The same is true in operations. AI might help identify patterns in business data, but it takes human context and judgment to determine which patterns matter, what trade-offs are worth making and how to bring people together around a decision.

In both cases, AI supports the work. People give it direction.

That doesn’t mean every task requires the same level of human involvement. Some processes should be automated. Others need thoughtful oversight. And some decisions should remain firmly in human hands. The challenge is knowing the difference.

‍The operating model is the opportunity

Here’s where things get interesting. Making an individual employee more productive doesn’t automatically make an organization more effective.

Imagine a team that can complete an analysis in minutes instead of days, but still needs to navigate the same approval process, wait for the same meetings or reconcile information across disconnected departments.

The work has accelerated. The organization hasn’t. That’s not necessarily a technology problem. It’s an operating model problem. AI transformation isn’t just about adopting new tools. It’s about rethinking how work moves through an organization.

Who needs to be involved in a decision? Where does information get stuck? Which approvals protect quality, and which exist because that’s how we’ve always done things? How do teams share what they’re learning rather than solve the same problems independently?

These are operational questions, but they have strategic implications. For creative organizations like VSA, the answer isn’t to prioritize speed at the expense of thoughtful work. It’s to create the conditions where teams can spend less energy navigating unnecessary friction and more energy doing the work that matters.

That might mean better access to information, clearer decision-making responsibilities, more connected workflows or a more intentional approach to determining where AI fits into the process. The goal isn’t to make every part of the business move at machine speed. It’s to make sure the organization can actually benefit from the capabilities it now has.

‍What should we do with the time we get back?

I think this is the question leaders should be asking as they build their AI strategies.

Because when AI creates capacity, we have choices.

We can use that capacity to do more of the same work. We can reduce costs. Or we can reinvest some of that time and attention in the things that are harder to automate: developing people, solving more complex problems, strengthening client relationships, exploring new opportunities and making more thoughtful decisions.

There’s no single right answer for every organization, but there should be an intentional one. And that requires us to measure more than productivity.

Instead of only asking how much time a new tool saves, we should also be asking whether it improves the quality of decisions, creates better experiences for clients and employees, or helps teams deliver stronger business outcomes.

Those are harder things to measure than hours saved. They’re also much closer to what transformation is supposed to accomplish.

‍The next phase of AI transformation

Another thing I took away from MAICON is that we’re still early in understanding what AI will mean for the way businesses operate.

Technology will keep evolving. Our tools will get better. And the opportunities to automate and accelerate work will continue to grow. But I don’t think the organizations that benefit most will necessarily be the ones that adopt the most tools or produce the most output.

They’ll be the ones that are thoughtful about how they put those capabilities to work—how they connect people, processes, information and ideas to create something more valuable. Because ultimately, the promise of AI isn’t just that it can help us do the same work faster. It’s that it gives us an opportunity to rethink what deserves our time in the first place.

And for me, that’s where the real transformation begins.

VSA Partner and Head of Client Delivery Susan Pfeifer recently wrote a piece for Adweek about what agencies and clients stand to gain by rethinking the current ways of working. She lays out how a fractional approach could create a much-needed bridge between project-based engagements and retainer models.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the fractional CMO—a marketing leader contracted to work a limited number of hours a week instead of as a full-time executive.

The fractional CMO is a solution to a problem, and it can be a good one. Companies get CMO-level expertise at a reduced rate, and CMOs get better work-life balance. It begs the question: Could clients and agencies do the same thing? What if there was a “fractional agency” model?

A fractional agency approach would provide a small, dedicated team of experts who can scale their support based on the client’s evolving needs. It’s not a retainer or a traditional project-based model; there’s an assumption that you’ll always be working on something for the client, just not at the same scale month to month. You end up with a flexible work solution that benefits both parties.

Addressing the naysayers

A fractional agency approach is admittedly less of a distinct third offering than a more traditional approach, but I think of it more as the best of both worlds. A successful fractional agency that sells will contribute a lot more to stability than a retainer-based approach with no buyers.

If we could, of course we would all go back to the retainers of yesteryear. They offered the most stability for the agency, which in turn gave clients the kind of creative, strategic partnerships only time can build. And for some clients, a retainer model is still going to get them the best value for their spend.

But many clients can’t work like that. Just look at the numbers: Marketing budgets are a shadow of their former selves, having decreased almost 19% since 2022. And even if a client can afford a retainer model, sometimes their stakeholders refuse on principle to engage in retainer relationships because they’ve been burned in the past by disreputable partners. Those clients often opt for project-based models, which could lead to onboarding many agencies in the same length of time as the traditional retainer.

A fractional agency approach would provide a small, dedicated team of experts who can scale their support based on the client’s evolving needs.”

What we’re doing isn’t working

Project-based models allow clients to engage with agencies on only their most pressing needs, but their drawback is that they lack the strategic depth that an agency can bring over time. Even retainer models have their downsides—if there isn’t consistent work, the ability to appropriately plan, and opportunity for an agency to provide value, the entire relationship could be at risk. And both retainer and project-based models can become mired in scope creep, which requires tedious contract adjustments on both sides.

A fractional agency approach addresses all these downsides: By combining the flexibility of the project-based model along with the stability and long-term relationships of the retainer model, clients get agencies that will provide adaptable, ongoing support and a consistent focus on the client’s overall business health and strategy.

There are a few situations where a fractional agency approach works best.

1. You work in a volatile industry

Some industries and companies are almost guaranteed to work in boom-and-bust cycles. If you’re a startup or your sector often faces fast-changing conditions, having a flexible partner who can provide expert guidance, strategic insights, and quick pivots is invaluable.

2. You have a complicated business

Especially in B2B, some industries have highly complex regulatory conditions or customer journeys. These kinds of clients might want a project-based partner, but the onboarding process and lack of consistent strategic communication between agency and client can wipe out any savings they might have had by not engaging on a retainer basis.

Complicated industries, like health care or finance, need long-term strategic partners that understand their business and the players within. A fractional agency gives them that support without locking them in.

3. You need consistent support that can scale

People often look to agencies for big ideas. But sometimes, hiring a fractional agency to do your team’s day-to-day can free up your marketers to engage in more of that big-picture thinking.

For example, websites require constant maintenance and UX/UI improvements, especially in competitive industries like consumer electronics and finance. A fractional agency can continuously update and optimize your site, ensuring it remains a powerful tool for attracting and retaining customers. Its people handle everything from content updates to technical tweaks, and they know your platform and workflow inside and out, saving you time and money in the long run.

Content creation is another area where fractional agencies work really well. You can engage experts who know your brand to create engaging, relevant content without stretching your internal resources too thin. If you need to scale up content before an event or push out a lot of content to take advantage of a market opportunity, you have the built-in support to do so without burning out your in-house teams or hiring additional full-time employees.

By combining the flexibility of the project-based model along with the stability and long-term relationships of the retainer model, clients get agencies that will provide adaptable, ongoing support and a consistent focus on the client’s overall business health and strategy.”

A better way to do business

Clients today need to show ROI, often with smaller budgets and faster market changes. Agencies, on the other hand, struggle to achieve stability and profitability from traditional project-based work and scope creep.

Adopting a fractional model gives clients and agencies a solution that works better for everyone: Continuous involvement allows for better alignment with your overall business strategy instead of isolated campaigns; you can adjust the level of support as your needs change, avoiding the pitfalls of being locked into long-term commitments; the pay-as-you-go model ensures you’re only investing in the support you need when you need it, maximizing the return on your marketing spend.

At the end of the day, good partnerships are still those that are mutually beneficial and built on reciprocated respect. A fractional agency approach honors the qualities that make long-term agency–client relationships successful—consistency and understanding—and reimagines it for the current business environment.