Marketing procurement is changing rapidly. What do you believe will have the biggest impact on the function over the next two to three years?

Procurement is shifting from a late-stage cost gatekeeper to an active partner in marketing strategy. The biggest driver of that shift will be AI reshaping how media is planned, bought, and measured - which changes what we're actually negotiating in agency and vendor contracts (data rights, usage terms, performance metrics), not just the price. Teams that build the commercial and legal frameworks to keep pace with that now will have a real advantage over the next few years.

Marketing budgets remain under pressure. How can procurement balance cost optimisation with supporting innovation, creativity, and long-term brand growth?

The key is separating "cost" from "value." We look for efficiency in process, tooling, and commercial structure - renegotiating how we buy, not just how much - so savings don't come directly out of creative or innovation budgets. Getting involved early, at the strategy stage rather than the invoice stage, also means we can protect the spend that drives brand growth while still hitting efficiency targets elsewhere.

How are agency relationships evolving, and what distinguishes high-performing procurement teams from those still relying on traditional sourcing approaches?

Agency relationships are moving away from transactional, project-by-project sourcing toward longer-term, outcome-based partnerships with clearer governance. High-performing procurement teams treat agencies as an extension of the business - they invest in the relationship, define shared success metrics upfront, and build contracts flexible enough to adapt as services and technology evolve. Teams still relying on traditional lowest-cost tenders tend to optimise for the wrong thing and end up renegotiating more often, not less.

Dunja Zivanovic will be joining us at ProcureCon Marketing Connect 2026, alongside other senior marketing procurement leaders.

Download the agenda to explore the full speaker line-up, sessions and networking opportunities