Lately, more clients are asking the same question:
“We’re talking to a few AI marketing agencies.”
That phrase sounds impressive. It also happens to cover a wide range of things — most of which are not agencies, not intelligent, and not especially useful.
So let’s slow this down and explain what’s actually happening.
Because right now, “AI marketing agency” is doing the same job “social media management agency” or “NFT developer” did a decade ago:
It’s vague, trendy, and frequently used to hide mediocrity.
The Three Types of “AI Marketing Agencies” You’ll Encounter
Almost everyone selling AI marketing services today falls into one of these buckets.
1. Automation Vendors Wearing Agency Clothing
These are the shops promising:
- AI-written posts across every platform
- Auto-commenting, auto-liking, auto-following
- “Consistent daily content” generated at scale
This is not marketing, it’s noise production.
They’re selling activity, not outcomes — flooding feeds with content that looks busy but persuades no one. Most of the time, the engagement is synthetic or circular, and none of it compounds.
If the pitch centers on how often they post instead of why the message works, you’re not hiring an agency, you’re renting a bot farm with better branding.
2. Prompt Sellers Masquerading as Strategists
This category is everywhere right now.
They sell:
- “Custom AI agents”
- Proprietary prompt libraries
- ChatGPT workflows framed as intellectual property
Here’s the problem:
Prompts are not strategy. They’re shortcuts.
The moment the models update — or someone on your team learns the basics — the value disappears. You’re left with a Google Doc full of instructions and no one accountable for results.
If the deliverable is “access” instead of impact, that’s not an agency relationship. That’s a novelty purchase.
3. Real Agencies That Use AI Quietly
This is the only legitimate version — and it looks nothing like the first two.
These agencies don’t sell AI as a feature. They sell:
- Clear positioning
- Faster testing
- Better iteration
- Sharper decisions
AI is infrastructure. Not the headline.
Just like spreadsheets didn’t create “spreadsheet accounting firms,” AI doesn’t magically create marketing competence. It just amplifies whatever judgment already exists.
Good agencies become faster.
Bad agencies become louder.
Why This Space Feels Scammy (Because It Kind of Is)
Marketing has always been an industry that sells confidence.
AI gave weak operators:
- A technical costume
- A complexity shield
- A way to make clients feel behind
Instead of saying:
“We know how to persuade people”
They say:
“Our AI stack leverages proprietary automation to optimize omnichannel workflows”
That sentence means nothing. And it’s meant to.
When AI becomes the selling point, it’s usually because the underlying thinking isn’t strong enough to stand on its own.
The One Question That Cuts Through the Hype
Here’s the question every client should ask — and almost no one does:
“What decisions does your AI help you make better?”
Not:
- What tools do you use?
- How many agents do you run?
- How automated is your process?
But:
- Does this help us decide what not to do?
- Does it sharpen messaging or just multiply it?
- Does it improve judgment or just output?
If the agency can’t answer that clearly, AI is being used as camouflage.
What AI Can’t Do (And Never Will)
AI is excellent at:
- Drafting
- Pattern recognition
- Speed
- Compression
AI is terrible at:
- Taste
- Incentives
- Narrative tension
- Understanding what offends, polarizes, or cuts through
Those are human skills. They’re earned through experience, not prompts.
The best agencies don’t look more “AI-powered.” They look more decisive.
How to Evaluate Agencies That Lead With AI
If you’re comparing firms right now, pressure-test these four things.
1. Outcomes vs. Mechanisms
If the pitch is tool-heavy, that’s a warning sign.
Serious agencies talk about:
- Revenue
- Leads
- Attention
- Positioning
- Distribution
Tools are implementation details — not value propositions.
2. Can They Explain Marketing Without Saying “AI”?
If they can’t clearly explain:
- Why a message works
- Who it’s for
- Where it travels
- What emotion it triggers
Then AI isn’t helping. It’s hiding the absence of strategy.
3. Who Overrides the Model?
Ask:
“What happens when the AI gets it wrong?”
If the answer is:
“The system learns over time”
You’re the experiment.
4. Are They Replacing Thinking or Accelerating It?
This is the real dividing line.
Bad agencies use AI to avoid hard decisions.
Good agencies use AI to make them faster.
The Bottom Line
An “AI marketing agency” is only legitimate if AI is invisible to the client.
If AI is the headline, you’re probably paying for automation dressed up as strategy.
The best agencies don’t sell tools. They sell judgment.
AI just helps them move faster.
If this article felt uncomfortably familiar, that’s usually a sign you’re ready for something better.
At Marketer on the Run, we don’t sell AI. We use it — quietly — to move faster, think clearer, and fix broken marketing systems with conviction.
If you’re done paying for noise, let’s talk.