BVDW Agency Academy — Agents as Co-Workers: How Agencies Work with AI Agents

This BVDW Agency Academy focused on the legal challenges and potential pitfalls associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants gained practical insights firsthand from two renowned legal experts and had the opportunity to exchange ideas with peers and specialists.

Keynotes

• Jann Cornels, Partner at FECHNER Attorneys at Law
• Fritz-Ulli Pieper, LL.M., Specialist Lawyer for IT Law, Taylor Wessing

Dr. Jann Cornels and Fritz-Ulli Pieper each delivered keynote presentations highlighting the key legal aspects and challenges in working with artificial intelligence.

Open Panel Discussion & Q&A
Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with the experts during an open panel discussion and Q&A session.

How can we rethink online commerce with AI, social, and entertainment? This BVDW Agency Academy explored the latest innovations emerging from Digital China—and what they mean for our markets.
SHEIN, Temu, and especially TikTok are showing that China has long been underestimated. A range of innovative and distinct digital trends have developed there—ones that are proving highly effective internationally, going far beyond low-cost fashion and mass-produced goods.

Key Trends in E-Commerce

• Discovery-Driven E-Commerce – a fundamentally different paradigm for online retail, already powered by AI
• Shopatainment – turning shopping into an engaging experience
• Social Commerce – shopping together with friends, naturally online
• C2M (Consumer-to-Manufacturer) – aligning production with demand through digital tools to reduce overproduction, with significant cost advantages
• Online Merge Offline (OMO) – true omnichannel experiences that dissolve the boundaries between online and offline, rather than trying to connect two separate silos

While e-commerce in Europe has seen relatively little change over the past 20 years, China continues to produce new ideas and platforms—many of which are now entering the German market. SHEIN and Temu are only the beginning. TikTok Shop is already on the horizon, and there are many more emerging players in China that are still largely unknown here.

Key Takeaways & Discussion Points
Björn’s thesis:
Over the next 12 months, e-commerce will change more than it has in the past 12 years.

• Which of these trends are relevant for our market?
• How can e-commerce platforms leverage these new ideas—and how should they respond?
• Where are the opportunities for agencies to better advise their clients and develop new products and services to stay relevant and drive growth?

In a world where creativity and technology are increasingly converging, understanding the impact on our industry is essential. This BVDW Agency Academy focused on exactly that topic, featuring Timo Springer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at DECAID, who presented his “10 Hypotheses on the Industrialization of the Creative Industry through Generative AI.”
Over the past 12 months, he has curated and continuously refined this set of hypotheses based on new insights.

Key Topics

• The increasing productization of service-based offerings
• Changes in agency business models
• The growing importance of proactive client leadership in the age of generative AI
• The transformation of jobs and roles within the creative industry

As ChatGPT might put it:
Timo takes us on a fascinating journey through the world of generative AI and its impact on the creative industry. By presenting 10 carefully developed hypotheses—curated and continuously updated over the past year—he reveals how generative AI is fundamentally reshaping the industry. He highlights the ongoing productization of services, the disruption of traditional agency models, and the critical role of proactive client leadership in this new era.

The demand for video content on social platforms keeps growing—and growing.
On TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and across a digital landscape dominated by visual content, it is essential to understand the habits and expectations of target audiences and meet them with the right kind of video content.
This BVDW Agency Academy provided the perfect opportunity to explore different sources for generating video content, understand the implications for production capacities, and unlock the full potential for your own organization.

Key Questions

• What are modern sources of high-quality content?
• What role do AI and content creators play?

From videography to content creators to AI, the sources of video content for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and beyond are diverse. Participants gained insights into the different tools available and how to use them effectively.
Through best-practice examples presented by industry experts, the session offered practical inspiration for creating impactful video content.

Speakers
Jan Hellberg
Managing Director Creation, la red GmbH
Paulina Schumann
Co-Founder & Managing Director, charles & charlotte
Jörn Mecher
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Intermate Group
Matthias Maurer
Managing Director, la red GmbH
Deputy Chairman of the Digital Agencies Expert Group (Moderator)

And yes—we’re talking about much more than just ChatGPT.
Machine learning and AI have long arrived in the day-to-day work of agencies. The question is no longer if, but how we deal with them.
At this BVDW Agency Academy, we explored different aspects of generative AI, took a look under the hood of various applications, examined how market players are using AI, and opened the floor for discussion.

Key Questions

• Evolution, revolution, or disruption? Utopia or dystopia?
• Hype, trend, or a new turning point?
• What opportunities and pitfalls lie ahead for agencies?
• Will clients pay less for AI-generated content in the future?
• How will agency roles change with machine learning and AI?

These questions guided the program and discussions throughout the event.

Program
From 10:00 AM – Check-in: coffee & croissants
11:00 AM – Intro / Warm-up
Jens-Christian Jensen, Stefan Mohr & Kai Ebert
11:20 AM – Keynote
“Can AI be artificially creative?” by Robert Andersen
11:40 AM – Live Demo
“Inside the Engine Room of AI” with Kai Ebert
12:10 PM – Panel Discussion
Experts sharing different perspectives on AI, moderated by Stefan Mohr
12:30 PM – Q&A & Discussion
All participants, speakers, and panelists
01:00 PM – Finger food & networking
02:30 PM – End of event

Pitches are more complex than we often think.
Especially in challenging times, new business becomes an even stronger focus for agencies. Winning new clients and growing existing accounts is essential. The harsh reality, however, is that agencies lose around 70% of their pitches on average.

Key Questions

• How can we increase our win rate?
• How can we create better solutions for our clients?
• How can we make pitches more efficient and motivating?

This makes it more important than ever to use resources more consciously and to pursue more sustainable pitching strategies.

Core Approach

• Start by asking a series of WHY questions
• Only then move on to the WHAT and HOW

Through practical examples and insights from years of international new business experience, this approach was explored in depth.

Expert Insight
Dr. Donna K. Heizer, a long-standing expert in business development, shared her approach to designing tailored training programs. These help agency teams not only decode the hidden agendas of potential clients, but also understand their true needs and place their business purpose at the center of the pitch process.

Program
Keynote (approx. 40 min)
Dr. Donna K. Heizer
“Pitch with Purpose: Winning More Sustainably”
Panel Discussion (approx. 15 min)
With Anke Herbener, Christian Reschke, Kai Ebert & Dr. Donna K. Heizer
How do agencies approach pitching differently? And how have agencies successfully applied the “Pitch with Purpose” method?
Q&A Session (approx. 25 min)
Open discussion with participants. Your questions, your insights—and plenty of answers from our experts.

Which digital developments—particularly from China, Malaysia, and Indonesia—are relevant for brand communication and digital marketing in Germany and Europe? And what opportunities do they create for agency business?
At this BVDW Agency Academy, two renowned Asia experts, Björn Ognibeni and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Seitz, explored these questions and demonstrated that looking east is just as exciting for marketing innovation as looking to Silicon Valley.

Key Insights

• In 2023, the US is no longer the only source of future digital trends—innovative and successful ideas are increasingly emerging from Asia
• E-commerce is often one of the least innovative digital sectors—many approaches and ideas remain underutilized
• Live shopping and traditional social commerce largely failed in 2022—Asian case studies show what is possible through real dialogue
• Marketing—including social media—is still ~90% push-based—dialogue in the lower funnel can significantly increase efficiency
• CRM in Europe is often a one-way street (e.g. email newsletters)—Asian approaches show how real customer dialogue can build strong brand value
• Omnichannel is often still an illusion due to silo thinking—Asia provides examples of how to truly integrate online and offline channels

The session highlighted the potential of new marketing impulses from Asia, why and how they can improve marketing in Europe, how to create real brand value through customer dialogue, and how online and offline channels can work together seamlessly.

Program
Keynote (approx. 45 min)
Björn Ognibeni
“Digital Trends & Facts from China and Key Learnings for Europe: Leading Brands Beyond Pre-Rolls & MarTech”
Panel Discussion (approx. 45 min)
With Prof. Dr. Jürgen Seitz, Marcus Veigel & Björn Ognibeni
Digital transformation insights from Asia and how we can benefit from them
Q&A Session (approx. 30 min)
Open discussion with participants: What can we adopt for modern digital communication?

Price vs. market? What happens when clients challenge your pricing?
How do we actually calculate our services? What should we consider when choosing a pricing model? How might clients perceive our pricing? Where and how do they try to negotiate—and how should we respond? What are the consequences on both sides?
This online workshop offered insights into one of the less glamorous but highly critical aspects of digital business: pricing, negotiation, and margin management. Especially in situations where clients are unlikely to simply accept your proposal, even small and seemingly minor adjustments can later turn into serious margin issues.

Key Topics
Shopping Cart Approach
What is actually included in your calculation? How much of it do you want—or need—to cover in a project? And how much should you transparently communicate to the client? (approx. 30 min)
Pricing Models
Retainer, fixed price, time & material, or agile fixed price—what are the implications of each model for both agencies and clients? (approx. 30 min)
Client Negotiation Dynamics
Where and how do clients (and different roles on the client side) challenge your pricing? What are the underlying motivations—and how can you respond effectively? (approx. 30 min)
Discussion, Q&A (approx. 30 min)

Digital agencies have one constant in their business: the internet.
But this constant is currently on the verge of a fundamental transformation—at least if we listen to the many enthusiastic voices across the web. Buzzwords like NFTs and Web3 are making this transformation tangible and discussable—but is it truly understandable?
In this BVDW Agency Academy, we explored these questions from an agency perspective.

Key Questions

• Where does the hype around NFTs come from?
• Are NFTs the foundation of a new, decentralized internet?
• What does “decentralized” actually mean—and what opportunities does it create?
• What are the most exciting use cases?
• And how does all of this connect to Web3?
• Why should every agency consider how to strategically explain NFTs and Web3 to their clients?

Together with participants, the session aimed to deepen understanding of this highly dynamic topic.
The session was led by Jürgen Alker, one of the most recognized experts on NFTs, crypto, and Web3 in the German-speaking world. As a former agency professional with many years of experience at SinnerSchrader / Accenture Interactive, he brought a unique and highly relevant perspective to the discussion.

Over the past months, we have all learned that hybrid work can function in practice. Video calls, “you’re still on mute,” calendars filled with more meetings than ever, virtual after-work drinks, entire workdays in sweatpants—and children or cats occasionally appearing on screen.
But what does hybrid work actually mean for organizations? How do flexible working environments impact the needs of employees? And what should leaders consider when managing teams, projects, or entire agencies in this new reality?

Key Questions

• What are the organizational impacts of hybrid work?
• How do changing work environments affect employee needs?
• What does effective leadership look like in hybrid setups?

Speakers
Dr. Jannika Bock
Director Retail, Google Germany
Pa Sinyan
Managing Partner Europe, Gallup
Kai Ebert
General Manager, Valtech
Stefan Mohr
COO, Argonauten

This session brought together expert perspectives from industry and research to explore both the theoretical foundations and practical implications of remote leadership in a hybrid working world.

Influencer marketing has long been an integral part of the marketing mix. However, formats, platforms, and the associated requirements are evolving rapidly.
This edition of the BVDW Agency Academy provides orientation within this complex ecosystem, highlights current market trends, and offers practical insights on authenticity, impact, and budget efficiency.
Our experts also discuss emerging formats, key KPIs, and platforms that are shaping the future of influencer and creator marketing.

Highlights
A key highlight of the session is the exclusive presentation of the new BVDW landscape:
“Influencer Marketing & Content Creation”
This landscape provides a comprehensive overview of key players, structures, and trends within this dynamic field.