Cincinnati, OH – RSW/US has released its 2026 New Year Outlook Report, highlighting a clear shift in how agencies are winning new business and why traditional reliance on referrals and networking is no longer sufficient.
For years, referrals, past relationships, and personal networks served as the backbone of agency growth. In 2022, 73% of clients said they learned about new firms through networking, 67% through past relationships, and 60% through friends or co-workers.
By 2025, those same discovery channels had declined significantly. The report finds that only 58% of clients now cite networking, 48% past relationships, and 35% friends or co-workers as ways they learn about new agencies. This shift reflects a steady erosion of channels agencies once depended on to drive consistent opportunity.
Changes in how marketers research agency partners, combined with consolidation and turnover across both agencies and client organizations, have made relationship-only growth strategies harder to sustain.
Beyond the decline of referrals, the report identifies three additional shifts agencies must address to drive growth in 2026:
- Responding to changes in in-housing: While many clients still maintain in-house teams, the overall amount of work handled internally is declining, creating opportunity for agencies that position their value clearly.
- Expanding brand awareness in a changing discovery landscape: Marketers are increasingly finding agencies through AI platforms, search, content, and direct outreach, not just personal connections.
- Being clearer and more practical about AI value: Clients want AI-driven insights, efficiency, and analytics rather than vague promises or surface-level adoption.
Importantly, the outlook is not bleak. While growth expectations are more measured, clients are still actively searching for capable partners, and agencies that take ownership of business development are seeing momentum build.
The report makes clear that growth in 2026 will depend less on waiting for the market to improve and more on how intentionally agencies go to market.
Download the full 2026 RSW/US New Year Outlook Report at www.rswus.com
About RSW/US
Founded in 2005, RSW/US is a leading outsourced business development firm working exclusively with small and mid-sized ad agencies, marketing services, PR, and professional services firms.