Episode 177: Scott Ensign of Butler/Till on Innovation at Indy Agencies

Scott Ensign, Chief Strategy Officer at Butler/Till, joins Ari Paparo to discuss the advantages of being a 100% employee-owned agency, the rise of agentic AI in media buying, AdCP adoption, and the future of pharmaceutical advertising. Learn how Butler/Till is leveraging AI-powered workflows, healthcare expertise, mobile gaming inventory, and programmatic innovation to drive growth in a rapidly evolving media landscape. Takeaways Butler/Till operates as a 100% employee-owned ESOP, giving employees ownership stakes and allowing the agency to remain independent and agile. The agency is a women-owned and women-led business, with roughly two-thirds of employees being women. Thanks to its status as an independent agency, Butler/Till can operate with agility, making faster decisions and investing strategically without outside shareholder pressure. Butler/Till takes a product-focused approach, building technology and solutions around client needs rather than creating products solely for commercialization. Pharmaceutical advertising is shifting away from broad-reach TV campaigns toward addressable, data-driven digital media channels. Even if pharmaceutical advertising regulations change, opportunities will remain through disease-state education and targeted healthcare professional outreach. Mobile gaming remains an undervalued advertising channel, particularly for reaching healthcare professionals during everyday moments. Butler/Till participated in one of the industry's earliest agentic AI-powered media transactions using AdCP technology. Agentic AI can automate traditionally manual workflows such as RFPs, publisher negotiations, and media planning. The agency views AI primarily as a tool for accelerating work and solving talent shortages rather than replacing employees. Chapters00:00 Introduction to Scott Ensign and Butler/Till00:41 What makes Butler/Till unique as an employee-owned agency01:24 The history behind Butler/Till's ESOP structure02:25 Independent agencies vs. holding companies03:47 Product development and technology investments at Butler/Till04:33 Why Butler/Till hired a Chief Product Officer05:08 How clients approach AI and workflow innovation06:33 The changing landscape of pharmaceutical advertising08:31 Regulatory concerns and the future of pharma marketing10:44 Reaching healthcare professionals in the digital age12:15 Why mobile gaming is an overlooked advertising opportunity14:19 Butler/Till's early agentic AI and AdCP media transaction16:25 How buyer and seller AI agents could negotiate media deals19:28 Why pharma is a strong fit for agentic media buying21:24 Expanding AdCP into audio and offline media channels23:01 AI, efficiency, and the future of agency work23:57 Butler/Till's growth, hiring plans, and closing thoughts Guests: Ari Paparo, Scott Ensign Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices