The latest figures show that the advertising industry is now worth $500bn and continues to grow. This flies in the face of a perception that all is not well in the mad bad adworld.

But are the figures telling the whole story? Is the spend on advertising actually a reflection of superb service from the big ad agencies and media players? Or is it just indication that brands themselves are not losing the appetite to advertise? With more channels and more competition they’re actually wanting and needing to do more. Hence the ‘healthy’ state of the industry.

Define healthy. Is the relationship between CMO and agency healthy and symbiotic, or more parasitical?  Without any disruption to the status quo, the relationship remains directly proportional: more channels = more revenues. No one needs to do anything – other than spend. And in the case of the networked agencies, buy. Buy more small players, swallow and charge more.

Perhaps it is time to do something. And spend less. The enlightened CMO is now more digitally aware. Hence wanting to advertise online as much as in traditional print. The enlightened CMO sees social as mandatory, not something that’s risk-heavy. Although the enlightened CMO sees risk as being the way that marketing will develop. They are strategy drivers, not followers. They don’t wait for someone to tell them the great idea, they have the great idea.

And that’s why the large agency network model will, ultimately, fail these enlightened CMOs. One day the CMO will want to do things differently. To keep control of marketing. To question just what is happening with agency and ad spend. To be able to say no to agency demands and make demands of their own.

As we move forward and embrace the great options that technology is bringing to marketing – from intelligent ad serving to augmented reality, agencies of the future need to deliver against this. Rather than just seeing a new opportunity and creating a new budget. They can’t just do more of the same in a different channel. At some point, the CMO will challenge them to think differently. And with revenue protection being at the forefront of their minds, that change is going to be so far out of their comfort zone they’ll need to bring the Space Shuttle out of retirement.

With the Creative Services Exchange we’re already able to respond to this enlightened CMO. They have the idea, they ask for it to be delivered. Without restrictions. Where choice isn’t just one of three concepts, but one of three pitches for every project, from a cast list of thousands. Expertsourcing gives CMOs more choice, but without belittling their brand (or the people providing the work for it). Where budgets are set and accounted for. Each campaign, each creative treatment, each piece of copy has a budget set by the CMO and his team. Not demanded by an agency.

We can’t change media spend yet, but we can change the components that lead to media spend. So it starts an ad revolution. It’s not for the fainthearted. CSX users know that in taking control, they also become more accountable. In having more choice, they have to make the right one, more often (although our brief managers do help). Every day we get ‘converts’ to the Exchange. They know that the results are more visible, the process is more streamlined, their budgets are healthier.

So, it is possible to have a healthy relationship between the ad spend of the brand and those providing the service. It’s just that those providers may look a little different. On the Creative Services Exchange, everyone, including enlightened agencies, has a chance to do something differently. And the advertising world will be better for it. This week we’ll be talking about disrupting the traditional model some more to an audience of enlightened CMOs. And if you’re already enlightened, why not submit a brief now?