What's next?

What’s Next looks ahead. Clear-eyed, curious, and with conviction. In the podcast and on the blog, creative excellence meets new business models and fresh perspectives. For everyone already shaping what’s beyond tomorrow.

The Podcast on the Future of Agencies

This is where the brightest minds of the industry speak out: agency leaders, CMOs, and creatives joining Kim Notz to discuss the future of agencies, brand leadership, and creativity.

The latest episodes

Jens Theil und Julia Gassner

Joy as a Driving Force for Organizations

26. August 2025

Luitgard Hagl

The Inflation of Courage

29. July 2025

Stefanie Kuhnhen und Birgit Berthold Kremser

Marketing as an Engine of Innovation with Responsibility

15. July 2025

Matthias Spaetgens

Great work outlives any Lion.

08. July 2025

Thomas Dempewolf

Misfits Wanted: Why Advertising Needs More Eccentrics

01. July 2025

Philipp Feit

Sound Galaxy Instead of Jingle: How Brands Must Rethink Their Acoustic Identity

17. June 2025

Ann-Sophie Sell

Social Performance: How Do You Make Advertising That Can Survive in Swipe Culture?

03. June 2025

Matthias Storath

New Beginnings: Between AI, Emptiness, and Genuine Idea

20. May 2025

Dora Osinde

Why There Is No Longer Any Reason to Join an Agency

13. May 2025

Kai Ebert

Which Growth Tactics Really Make Agencies Grow and Which Do Not

06. May 2025

Aissu Diallo

Why Social Media No Longer Extends Campaigns – but Builds Brands

22. April 2025

Björn Bremer

Let My People Go Surfing’ – What That Says About Creative Leadership

15. April 2025

Stefan Mohr

AI Ecosystems: What Remains When Machines Take Over Processes?

08. April 2025

Torsten Eichten und Petra Monheim

Change as DNA: How Creative Studios Survive When They Reinvent Themselves

01. April 2025

Sebastian Strasser

The Future of the Commercial: What Is Lost When Fear Takes the Director's Chair

25. March 2025

Götz Ulmer und Paulina Schumann

Creative Excellence Meets TikTok: What Agencies Must Learn from Creators

18. March 2025

Johanna Lück

Social Effectiveness: What Campaigns Need to Stay in the Mind

11. March 2025

Nina Preuss und Michael Preuss

Art x Communication: How PREUSS UND PREUSS Communicate with Art

04. March 2025

Louise Stodtko und Lisa Robben

Social First as Lead Agency? Why Speed Is Strategic Currency Today

25. February 2025

Boris Terwey und Christian Rätsch

Integrated Working: Why Collaboration Needs More Than Co-Branding

18. February 2025

Tommy Gmür

Fan Love Instead of Logo Placement: Where Brands Often Fail in Sports

11. February 2025

Robert Andersen

Mansplainer Bot & Participation Campaigns – How JvM Integrates Artificial Intelligence into Creation

04. February 2025

Giuseppe Fiordispina

Digital Creativity: When Mixed Reality Connects Brand and Retailer

28. January 2025

Sebastian Vieregg

Resilient Marketing: When Marketing Turns from a Cost Center into a Profit Center

21. January 2025

Adil Sbai

Influencer Marketing: Why Creators Are Co-Strategists Today

14. January 2025

Matthias Specht

B2B Marketing: Customer Journey and Creativity as Growth Architecture

07. January 2025

Niat Asfaw Graça und Christoph Weber

Pitches Often Feel Like Bad Dates? How to Change That

17. December 2024

Guido Heffels

Why Fear Is the Death of Every Creative Culture

10. December 2024

Niko Backspin

Culture Agency: When the Community Is Stronger Than the Campaign"

03. December 2024

Tobias Schlösser

When the Speedboat Steers the Container Ship: Inhousing at the Sparkasse Rethought

26. November 2024

Burkhard Müller

Creative Gen AI: From Stock Images to Consistent Brand Building via AI

19. November 2024

Geena Schindler und Maylin Vural

Hybrid Generation, Hybrid Leadership – Only Possible with Courageous Culture

12. November 2024

Jasper Börnsen

Innovation mindset for dealing with GenAI

05. November 2024

Livio Dainese

Enough with hourly rates, bring on new models

29. October 2024

Kristina Bonitz

Agency Makeover: How clarity becomes a growth cure

22. October 2024

Pia Schott und Dr. Axel Averdung

Soul & System: How digital experiences are created with soul

15. October 2024

Amelie Schad

Why People-First Is Becoming the Toughest Currency

01. October 2024

David Rost

Agency Networks: Why Participation Protects Identity

17. September 2024

Ralf Schmidt-Bleeker

How Narratives Transform Companies

03. September 2024

Ulrike Lerchl

Taking a Stand Against Hate: How Creatives in East Germany Are Making a Statement

20. August 2024

Lena-Marie Hesse

Data-Driven Leadership: Lead Role for Media Agencies

06. August 2024

Johannes Buzási

Health Marketing on a Growth Path

23. July 2024

Dr. Thomas Dmoch

Creative Consulting Instead of Advertising

09. July 2024

Isabelle Schnellbügel & Franziska Duerl

Rethinking Strategy in Complex Times

25. June 2024

Annabelle Jenisch & Max Orgeldinger

Agency Organization: Balancing Control and Freedom

11. June 2024

Lucas Schneider

How to Credibly Connect Brands and Culture

28. May 2024

Guido Woska

Liquid Organization: How to Keep Growth Agile

14. May 2024

Kai Vorhölter

Customer Experience Is the New Creative

30. April 2024

Bernhard Fischer-Appelt

Today’s Winner Is the One Who Moves with Real Stories

16. April 2024

Peer Wörpel

Creative Effectiveness in Social Media

02. April 2024

Dr. Marc Schumacher

The Experience Economy is Back

19. March 2024

Gerald Hensel & Fabian Roser

Curiosity as a Business Principle

05. March 2024

Sven Dörrenbächer & Daniel Koller

Creative Volunteering: Industry Power for Democracy

22. February 2024

Daniel Adolph

Consulting: The Withered Pillar of Agencies

13. February 2024

Juri Schnöller

Political Campaigning: Deepfakes, TikTok & the Battle for Truth

06. February 2024

Tobias Schiwek

The Power of Strong Communities

23. January 2024

Katja Metz

How E.ON challenges its lead agency

09. January 2024

Sebastian Schirl

How agencies can prepare themselves for the M&A business

12. December 2023

Nico Ziegler

No masterplan needed: The path to agency takeover

28. November 2023

Dr. Iris Heilmann & Jörn Langensiepen

Strategic entrepreneurship

14. November 2023

Marie-Josephine Ludewig

Early ownership as a leadership tool

01. November 2023

Nina Mönich

Self-organization is not automatic

17. October 2023

Chris Jungjohann

Accessible marketing: Invisible barriers in advertising

04. October 2023

Timo Schönauer

The importance of physical brand spaces

19. September 2023

Max Lederer

Next level creativity: What drives a Chief Innovation Officer

05. September 2023

Katrin Kolossa

Journalism meets agency world: Rethinking content

22. August 2023

Till Diestel

How to inspire young talent for advertising

08. August 2023

Paulina Schumann & Pascal Fiedler

Agency founding with a new mindset

25. July 2023

Claudia Diaz Sanchez & Laura Schlotthauer

DEI in focus: How diversity is transforming the agency world

11. July 2023

Felix Kästle & Kim Kranz

How Deutsche Bank is rethinking agency models

27. June 2023

Nadine Müller-Eckel & Till Eckel

Think global, act local? How agencies can succeed at international expansion

13. June 2023

Maximilian Conrad

Corporate audio: Why podcasts are more than just a hype

30. May 2023

Birgit Vernunft

Full-funnel or nothing: Creativity meets performance

16. May 2023

Katrin Menne

What real transformation needs today

03. May 2023

Toan Nguyen & Phillip Böndel

Pop Culture is not a gimmick, but a business model

18. April 2023

Dr. Jann Cornels

AI x Legal: What agencies need to keep on their radar now

04. April 2023

Roland Mayr

Life Centricity instead of Customer Centricity

21. March 2023

Nina Jünemann

Leadership with a shift in perspective

07. March 2023

Julia Bubenik

The path to becoming a co-owner of an agency

21. February 2023

Frank Wolfram

Why true transformation starts with people

07. February 2023

Tim Leberecht

A pilot for rethinking the economy

24. January 2023

Ina von Holly

Agencies as drivers of sustainable change

10. January 2023

Kristina Bonitz

Why innovation without radicality is just cosmetic

13. December 2022

Markus Albers

Hybrid work reality instead of buzzword bingo

29. November 2022

Christoph Nann

Entrepreneurship: Skin in the game

15. November 2022

Isabelle Rogat

Gen Z is rethinking the agency model

01. November 2022

Göran Göhring & Adone Kheirallah

Remote first & hierarchy-free

18. October 2022

Sina Gansel

Pricing hacks for agencies

04. October 2022

Alexander Rohwer & Dr. Nicolai Johannsen

Customer experience over campaign logic

20. September 2022

Anne Stilling

Why agencies need to start thinking strategically again

06. September 2022

Christoph Pietsch

Business Development reloaded

23. August 2022

Mike John Otto

Narrative experiences for brands

09. August 2022

Robert Zitzmann

Room to improve: Storytelling in sports marketing

26. July 2022

Anja Stolz

Purpose without posing: How communication shows real values today

28. June 2022

Jan König

The interplay between content and media

28. June 2022

Oliver Klein

Co-Creation: Why the customer is now collaborating

14. June 2022

Sebastian Galla und Johannes Ehrenwerth

Internet culture: NFTs, Discord & meme magic

31. May 2022

Robin Heintz

How brands get their online marketing on track

17. May 2022

Dr. Fra* Fox Mega

DEIB: Why belonging is the new gamechanger

03. May 2022

Jennifer Rosenberg

Creativity in consulting

19. April 2022

Ina Börner

How sales really works

05. April 2022

Franka Mai und Tim Stübane

Purpose marketing: Why honesty pays off

22. March 2022

Sandra Harzer-Kux

Rethinking complexity

08. March 2022

Dora Osinde

Why advertising now needs to consider pop culture

22. February 2022

Markus Biermann

Human centricity as a mindset

08. February 2022

Philipp Westermeyer

Agencies should create reach for themselves

25. January 2022

Neil Heinisch

TikTok: What comes after the hype?

14. December 2021

Anke Peters und Stephan Lämmermann

How operating models change culture and creativity

04. December 2021

Dirk Kedrowitsch

Why change is a leadership principle

30. November 2021

Alexander Kiock und Jan Pechmann

New growth requires new rules

16. November 2021

Nina Rieke

What transformation needs today

02. November 2021

Josephine Gerves

Pitches: What really convinces clients

19. October 2021

Mirko Kaminski

Talent crisis: How agencies can become desirable again

05. October 2021

Nina Haller

Reverse Funnel Planning – the data vision for brands

21. September 2021

Marc Nabinger und Oliver Rosenthal

Creative Effectiveness

07. September 2021

Cornelia Kunze und Dr. Mirjam Jentschke

Key moments in the agency-client relationship

24. August 2021

Stephan Grabmeier

“Infinite games” instead of quarterly targets

10. August 2021

Marianne Heiß

Mental health is here to stay

27. July 2021

Robin Houcken

Why brands should act like media companies

13. July 2021

Peter Figge

The secret behind a powerful creative culture

29. June 2021

Monika Schürholz

Efficiency targets as killer KPIs for creativity

15. June 2021

Stefan Nagel und Friedrich Tromm

Creative entrepreneurship in a hybrid agency model

01. June 2021

Thomas Koch

The media agency in its current form has no future.

18. May 2021

Dirk Huesmann

Self-organization instead of alpha pyramids

04. May 2021

Liane Siebenhaar und Fabian Frese

Why we need to enable more specialist careers

20. April 2021

Christian Rätsch

If you try to be everything, you risk standing for nothing

06. April 2021

Marcel Loko

Modern agency culture revolves around freedom

23. March 2021

Hannah Johnson und Alexander El-Meligi

Welcome to flatland

09. March 2021

Susan Schramm

McDonald’s: How challenger teams complement, not replace, the lead agency

23. February 2021

Catherine Gaudry

Diversity as a Competitive Advantage

09. February 2021

Isabelle Schnellbügel

Disruption is the new normal

26. January 2021

Dagmar Hübner

HR as a strategic tool for agency management

12. January 2021

Jürgen Schulze-Seeger

Moonshot instead of micro-goals: Transformation requires radical steps

08. December 2020

Matthias Schrader

Are CMOs just the promotion uncles now?

24. November 2020

Felicitas Lentz und Ingrid Steffens

The key to a good client-agency relationship

10. November 2020

Steve Plesker

Agency models of the future

27. October 2020

Jens-Christian Jensen

Data first, plan later: Marketing needs to become more agile

13. October 2020

Jesko Perrey

The commodity trap for agencies

29. September 2020

David Stephan und Martin Eggert

It’s not just about doing what the client wants

15. September 2020

Katja Kraus

Why agencies are sleeping on diversity

01. September 2020

Karolin Hewelt und Nils Seger

Squads instead of hierarchies

18. August 2020

Ina Behrendt und Sabine Georg

Why agencies need experimentation

04. August 2020

Dr. Donna Heizer

Pitch with Purpose

21. July 2020

Larissa Pohl

Old patterns, old minds: Why transformation is often just theater

07. July 2020

Christoph Bornschein

Why agencies need to differentiate themselves from consultancies

23. June 2020

Jan Bechler

Why media and creation belong together

09. June 2020

Marcus Wendel

Marketing as a driver of innovation within the company

26. May 2020

Thomas Strerath

Why agencies have forgotten how to make money

19. May 2020

Johannes Plass

Thinking long-term: Megatrends as a survival guarantee

12. May 2020

Natanael Sijanta

The formula behind Mercedes’ marketing shift

28. April 2020

Sandra Rehder

We don’t need evolution – we need a revolution

14. April 2020

Benjamin Minack

Creativity is not enough: Agencies must transform

31. March 2020

Phillip Böndel

Are creative agencies more valuable than ever?

17. March 2020

Oliver Klein

Why full service is a myth – and always has been

03. March 2020

Franziska von Lewinski

The agency industry needs more self-confidence

18. February 2020

Stefanie Kuhnhen

Strong teams instead of ego geniuses: How Grabarz & Partner thinks about leadership

04. February 2020

Michael Trautmann

Mad Men is dead. What will make agencies relevant tomorrow?

10. January 2020

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„What’s Next“ is no ordinary industry newsletter. It’s aimed at marketing decision-makers who want to think beyond the obvious. Instead of superficial headlines, it offers in-depth insights, fresh perspectives, and inspiring ideas through the eyes of an agency that combines strategic thinking with creative excellence."

Thoughts shared. Now you.

Andrea Pusch

Director People & Culture

talents@knsk.de

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