Takeaways
The work doesn't stop when you leave the room. You loved the work in the room. But then it goes to your CEO, your legal team, your regional leads - people with no context and ten minutes. The best agency partners aren't just selling you an idea - they're handing you the language to defend it upstream. If you're not walking out of a presentation with a clear one-liner and the business case already built, ask for it.
The pressure to play it safe is real. So is the cost of it. The risk of playing it safe isn't stability, it's invisibility. Brands that chase trends end up looking like everyone else. The ones that last know who they are, regardless of what's performing this quarter.
You can't outsource conviction. When you walk that idea into the boardroom, you're the one selling it. The strongest CMOs we see aren't just approving work - they're co-authoring the story around it. That means pushing your agency for the proof points, the case studies, the “here's why this works” before you ever hit send on the deck.
So, what now?
Before your next presentation to leadership, ask one question: Can I explain why this idea is the right business decision without the agency in the room? If the answer is no, go back for the defense.
Like What You Heard?
Striking Stats
The profitability multiplier of creative quality is 12x, meaning better creative can generate 12 times the ROI of an average ad. (Accelero/Zappi)
Emotional ad campaigns produce 2x the profit of rational-only campaigns, and that advantage compounds to 2.1x by year three. (IPA via Spiralytics)
52% of clients say convincing internal stakeholders is one of their most pressing challenges - more than any external pressure. (DBA/Up to the Light 2025)
On Our Radar
OpenAI has officially begun testing ads in ChatGPT, and it's moving fast. Ads are contextual text placements at the bottom of chat responses, clearly labeled as "Sponsored" and shown only to free and Go tier users. With 800 million weekly active users and a CPM reportedly sitting around $60, well above Google's $38, the platform is positioning itself as premium inventory from day one. For now, access is invite-only for select enterprise partners, but the expansion is already underway. OpenAI plans to roll the pilot out to the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea in the coming weeks.
What this means: The era of AI as a purely organic channel is closing. ChatGPT is becoming a media buy, which means brands that haven't thought about how they show up in conversational search need to start now, because soon there'll be a paid line ahead of them.
Lightning Round
CEO & Founder Jeremy Heilpern’s 2026 insights were featured in GaBiz Magazine
Jeremy Heilpern and Global COO, MD Europe, Renaye Edwards spoke at WPI’s annual conference on Shaping an Agency for the Intelligence Age
Chief Strategy Officer Kelly Heilpern and Strategy Director Chris Shadrick were featured on the Inspiring Futures Podcast
Chris Shadrick had a byline in Campaign UK, "Stop simply talking about growth – here's how to deliver it."
Renaye Edwards and Kelly Heilpern spoke on From Day One’s Translating Global webinar (May 19)
Ammunition’s UK team hosted the first Off the Record breakfast roundtable (May 20)
Ammunition partnered with MarketingWeek to host 45+ CMOs at the Leadership Summit (May 21)
Chief Technology Officer JC Hamill celebrated his 5-year Ammoversary
