The end of the account manager (and why no one will miss it)

Hey, world. What was once a strategic role became a bureaucratic function. The account manager, who should lead the client relationship and drive the business forward, now only manages approvals, reviews, and deadlines.

This didn’t happen by chance. The market moved away from the fixed-contract model toward one-off projects, and a lot of people got left behind along the way. The problem? While demand changed, the account manager’s role didn’t evolve with it.

Now, the truth: you can’t keep paying people who just forward briefings and answer emails. The market doesn’t need supervisors, it needs people who build, deliver, and solve.

How did this start?

Back in the day, when digital started gaining ground, the logic of consultancies was different. Everyone on the team delivered value directly: while a strategist defined the path, designers and developers created the solution, and producers made sure everything got off the ground.

The problem came when advertising tried to copy that model. Instead of building more agile teams, it set up a system full of layers, where the real work took forever to happen. With clients paying fortunes for small email revisions, no one questioned it. But then the game changed.

With fewer fixed contracts and more one-off work, the old structure started to crumble. Today, no one wants to pay to keep a giant team making tiny tweaks in PowerPoint.

The name matters (more than it seems)

When people talk about an account manager in the advertising market, the image that comes to mind is someone who just bridges client and team.

Now, look at what an account manager does in tech or sales: they bring in revenue, build relationships, and drive growth.

The contrast couldn’t be greater.

And it’s not just semantics. The traditional agency model trained specialists in passing tasks along. They ask strategists to create plans, designers to make presentations, producers to adjust schedules. But in the end, they don’t actually do anything.

The problem? In a market where value is measured by real impact, being just a middleman isn’t enough.

The future belongs to those who do

It’s already clear that more supervision doesn’t mean better delivery. On the contrary: too many people in the mix only increases bureaucracy and delays the work.

The best agencies have already understood that the old model is dead. In place of the traditional account manager, a new profile emerges: the professional who makes everything happen.

They call it the octopus model.

People who not only understand the client, but also define strategy, ensure delivery, and translate the creative vision into real results. Professionals who move between strategic thinking and execution without getting stuck halfway.

So now what?

Three changes that can save your agency:

1. Tear down the barriers between roles. The market doesn’t need silos. It needs versatile people who solve problems.

2. Bring in outsiders. Tech, consultancies, startups – new ideas aren’t born inside advertising bubbles.

3. Value a growth mindset, not just experience. The market changes fast. Those who don’t learn and adapt get left behind.

The game has already changed. The question is: who will adapt and who will disappear along with the old model?