I often think back to an anecdote I once heard about the legendary ad agency CDP in its 1970s heyday. They were pitching for some packaged food brand that was based on a farm. One by one, the major players arrived in their flash cars, each more expensive than the last: an Aston Martin followed by a Rolls Royce, followed by a Ferrari … all topped off by Frank Lowe, who arrived by helicopter.

I have no idea if they won the pitch, but I can think of few better illustrations of the peak of ad agency status, and the extent to which our clients once held us in spellbound awe. Unfortunately, as you might have noticed, most current ad agency staff are lucky to be able to afford a decent Audi, never mind the latest super car.

That change of vehicles is both a cause and symptom of a deeper transformation in the industry: the one that has happened to the client-agency relationship.