Marketing agencies are built on speed, creativity, and foresight. But even the most visionary teams face an old problem: time. Research shows that creative professionals spend nearly 50% of their week on non-creative tasks—structuring research, preparing reports, and building first drafts.
AI is rewriting that equation. A 2023 Deloitte study found that agencies using AI for content and campaign ideation reported 30–40% faster turnarounds, with no decline in quality. In fact, 7 in 10 creative leaders said AI freed up “mental space” for higher-level strategy and storytelling.
This isn’t about replacing creativity. It’s about giving teams room to be bold. And that’s exactly the shift Idea Lab—a leading marketing agency—saw when they joined AIatWork.
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In Their Own Words: Nade Temelkovska, COO at Idea Lab
Why did you push for AIatWork?
When the topic of AI at Work came up, for us at Idea Lab the decision was simple – if a leading marketing agency like ours isn’t first in line for new tools and trends, then who should be? 🙂 Our job is to always bring ‘the next big thing’ to our clients, and AI is exactly that – not just a trend, but a new energy that adds speed and freshness to the creative process… And yes, I’ll admit – there was also a bit of a ‘FOMO’ moment.”
Why now, not later?
For us, the decision to join AI at Work at this moment came from an internal need. We were already experimenting with AI across projects, but it became clear that a structured framework and dedicated learning program would allow us to scale faster, unify practices, and build confidence across the team.
Most useful or visible application so far?
Since joining AI at Work, the most visible impact for our team has been saving time in the creative process while actually producing more variety and sharper outputs… AI helps us structure research and insights into clear directions much faster, which gives our clients a stronger starting point and gives our team confidence when presenting.
AIatWork in one sentence
AI at Work is not just training for us—it’s the launchpad for reimagining how a leading agency delivers value in the future.
Mindset or cultural shift
The biggest change we’ve noticed since starting with AI at Work is how naturally the team has embraced time efficiency. Tasks that used to take hours… now take minutes. Culturally, this created a mindset shift: instead of spending energy on repetitive parts of the job, our people now invest that time in creativity.
Upskilling & reskilling impact
AI at Work completely shifted how we think about growing our people… Rather than chasing external talent to ‘import’ skills, we’re proving that with the right training and structure, our own team can lead the change and stay ahead of the curve.
12–24 months vision
In 12–24 months, we see Idea Lab using AI as a standard tool for research, data structuring, and reporting, making our processes faster and more reliable. AI at Work is the base that helped us build these habits and turn efficiency into a competitive edge.
“Aha” moment“
Our biggest ‘aha’ moment inside AI at Work came when the team realized just how quickly a full SWOT analysis or data overview could be pulled together with AI… That was the moment people literally said, ‘ok, this changes everything.’”
What This Means for Agencies Everywhere
Idea Lab’s story isn’t just about one agency—it’s about the shape of marketing in the next decade. Agencies that treat AI as an experiment will lag; those that embed it deeply will set the pace.
The numbers are already stacking up. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of creative workflows will be AI-assisted. That means the question isn’t if agencies will adopt AI, but whether they’ll use it to lead or play catch-up.
By making AI part of their daily process—not just a buzzword—Idea Lab shows what leadership looks like: faster insights, sharper creativity, and a culture that sees technology not as a threat, but as fuel.
And maybe that’s the takeaway: the best agencies don’t just follow trends. They reimagine them into value.
