Forrester’s latest research on the changing agency landscape identifies Sagepath Reply as an example of a “Change agent” agency; a model the firm associates with high CMO AI impact.
Sagepath Reply is a digital transformation and marketing agency and a member of the Reply network of companies. This recognition comes from Forrester, one of the world's leading independent technology and market research firms.
AI is reshaping more than how marketing gets done. It’s changing what CMOs need from their agency partners.
In its June 2026 Vision Report, CMOs’ AI Imperative Demands Change-Agent Agencies, Forrester examines this shift and argues that agencies built primarily around scaled execution risk falling behind the evolving needs of marketing leaders.
We’re proud that Sagepath Reply is included as an agency example in Forrester’s “Change agent” category, alongside PMG and Credera.
Key Takeaways
- Forrester's June 2026 Vision Report, CMOs' AI Imperative Demands Change Agent Agencies, identifies Sagepath Reply as a named example within the "Change agent" agency archetype.
- The "Change agent" archetype is associated with "High" CMO AI Impact - the highest impact level among the four agency archetypes Forrester defines in the report.
- Forrester's framework organizes agencies into four archetypes - Change agents, Merchants, Specialists, and Vendors - differentiated by their approach to value creation and AI strategy.
- Sagepath Reply is listed alongside PMG and Credera as a Change agent example, reflecting an augmentation led, intelligence focused approach to agency partnership.
From AI Execution to AI Transformation
The distinction between simply using AI and transforming around AI is becoming increasingly important.
Forrester argues that many agencies continue to focus on delivering marketing faster, cheaper, and at greater volume. AI can certainly improve productivity, automate workflows, generate content, and optimize media. But Forrester sees the larger opportunity as fundamentally rethinking how marketing operates and creates value.
That requires agencies to evolve, too.
In the framework shown in the Vision Report, Forrester's CMOs' AI Imperative Demands Change-Agent Agencies organizes agencies into four archetypes: Change agents, Merchants, Specialists, and Vendors. These archetypes differ based on their approach to content strategy and value creation.
Change agents occupy the augmentation led, intelligence focused position within that framework. Forrester associates this archetype with “High” CMO AI Impact; the highest impact level shown among the four agency types. Sagepath Reply is listed as one of the examples within this category.
What Does It Mean to Be a Change Agent?
Forrester’s perspective reflects a larger change underway in marketing.
As AI assumes more executional work, the value of an agency relationship increasingly comes from what happens beyond execution: helping organizations determine where humans should lead and where machines should contribute, redesign workflows, integrate AI across marketing disciplines, and establish the capabilities and governance necessary to make it work.
Forrester describes the opportunity as moving CMOs from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it, from simply deploying tools to redesigning workflows, and from campaign optimization toward orchestrating marketing led growth.
That vision strongly resonates with how we think about the role of an agency at Sagepath Reply.
Our Perspective: AI Should Augment Human Potential
For Sagepath Reply, the AI opportunity has never been just about doing more, faster.
It’s about creating smarter, more connected ways of working, and using technology to amplify the expertise, creativity, and judgment people bring to the table.
That means looking beyond individual AI tools or isolated use cases. Organizations need to think about how AI connects to their broader customer experience, data, technology, content, operations, and business strategy.
The most valuable question isn't simply, “What can we automate?”
It's “What can we do differently, and better, because AI is now possible?”
Answering that question requires more than implementation. It requires strategy, experimentation, integration, organizational change, and an understanding of the customer experiences a business ultimately wants to create.
Helping Clients Navigate What Comes Next
The emergence of the Change agent model signals something important about the future of agency partnerships.
Forrester argues that CMOs increasingly need trusted partners capable of helping them navigate change management, technology implementation, and the new fundamentals of AI enabled marketing; not simply execute against an established brief.
We believe that is where the agency relationship is heading as well.
AI will continue to change the tools marketers use, the work teams perform, and the experiences customers expect. The opportunity is to make those changes intentional; to connect AI investments to customer needs and business outcomes while keeping human ingenuity at the center.
Being included as an example of a Change agent agency in Forrester's CMOs' AI Imperative Demands Change-Agent Agencies Vision Report is meaningful recognition of the kind of partner Sagepath Reply strives to be.
And we're just getting started.
As AI continues to reshape the agency landscape, Sagepath Reply is built to help enterprise organizations move from AI experimentation to AI operationalization, combining strategic guidance, technology integration, and human centered design to drive marketing led growth.
Ready to explore what AI transformation could look like for your organization? Connect with Sagepath Reply.
