by Craig Page-Lee (@cpl_ignite) What will the ad agency of the future look like, and will we see the emergence of the “full-service agency” again — or not? These were key discussion points at the recent Advertising Week Europe 2015 festival.
The conversation was robust and forthright, and the various agencies participating were obviously territorial in their approach and partisan to their respective discipline (media, advertising, digital etc) being identified as the “lead agency” in the agency of the future model.
Consolidation of views
It is important to note that the commentary and context provided is a consolidation of views expressed by the various speakers, notes from conversations that I had, and some personal points of view.
I’d like to open with a contentious question: “Do creative agencies really know what job their advertisement is trying to achieve with the consumer and what is the right media to do this?”
Taking into account that dialogue exists in different places at different times, and that the consumer can talk back to advertisers (allowing genuine one-on-one dialogue), I’d be bold enough to say, “No.”
Tainted
Why? We all know that the separation of media and communications strategy from the creative agency resulted in the “just-in-it-for-the-big-TVC” reputation that has tainted the advertising agency world for so long now. Add that the technology revolution and digital evolution (delivered by “digital specialists — creative or other”) are happening at such a rapid pace, it’s no wonder the role of the creative agency is being questioned in the agency of the future model.
What is obvious is that bringing the disciplines of creative and media and communications strategy together again will help the advertising agency develop an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior and, one hopes, the knowledge that the brand-experience journey informs where the conversation meets the consumer (the media plan).
This, in turn, informs which format and how the brand message needs to be delivered and. ultimately, what the creative execution needs to be, as it’s most definitely not a series of TVCs cut down to fit the multi-screen reality on one end of the spectrum, nor a ‘still’ repurposed as a double-page Sunday Times spread or billboard face at the other end.
Key points
Some of the key points coming out of the conversation which will most definitely shape the agency of the future, or that current advertising agencies need to be aware of, are as follows:
- Consumers do and can be trusted to make their own content — the question here is whether brand owners are ready to deliver content and relevance that go beyond the story, and what role does the creative agency play in this regard?
- How are advertising agencies structured to deliver advertising purposed and in the right format in real-time to meet the ever increasing demands of programmatic and real-time buying? All such formats need to be contextual and situational, which again places pressure upon the creative agency to deliver more than just the “big TVC” solution
- The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued
- It should not be about whether it’s the “creative or media agency” — it is about the “connections agency” and how brands connect with consumers through media (content) that is most important
- Clients want talent and it doesn’t matter if it’s not all under one roof — it doesn’t have to be a one-stop-shop approach as clients buy best-in-class delivery relative to discipline
- Clients can only buy what’s for sale — whether under one roof — or the place where the media and creative converge “understanding” exists
- Media should drive creative, not fit media into a creative idea — you consume media, not creative
- Creative snobbery looking down on the media department/agency still exists — I reckon it’s a while off before this genuinely disappears
- The non-coming together of agencies is forcing clients to build their own in-house departments — my thoughts: RIP media and advertising industry
- It doesn’t work when client has to marshal the agency relationship — it’s up to us as agencies to grow up and be selfless partners
- Are clients’ internal tools, “brand keys” and models impacting upon agency relationships and how the best work could be delivered?
- Do clients want agencies to be fully part of the relationship, or do they actually still want to be in control?
- Many clients are bringing more of the agency services in-house — a good learning here is for the client to question what you need to do every day vs sometimes, and if it is everyday/operational, then the client will inevitably keep it in-house
So should media be harnessed back to the creative function? In my opinion, NO!
Co-exist
The two need to co-exist, with interchangeable and amorphous teams that are structured to meet the makeup and ethos of the client’s organisation — and, most importantly, to meet the client’s business needs. The media department, however, cannot be too obstructive by putting the media channel before the idea.
Who takes on the role of client lead remains the mystery, as the media department was always relegated to the basement in the full-service agency of yesteryear, while the creative department and client-service teams always had the best views and maximum perks. Just watch any episode of Mad Men.
The makeup of the agency of the future, whether defined as a full-service agency model or not, will obviously need to be very different to the traditional agency model that prevails today, with the capabilities to deliver across the channel of digital deeply embedded into the core service delivery and strategic capability of the agency.
Emphasise
In closing, I’d like to emphasise the point made by one of the creative-agency delegates that “ideas do come from everywhere, but creative is really only delivered by creative people.”
As much as this may be true, creative can only be effective when it meets the consumer at the point of engagement (with the right message, in the right tone and in in the right format) and shapes behavior to the point of consumption. This is where media really comes into its own.
That said, and taking the above into account, consumers will actually influence the makeup of the agency of the future.
Craig Page-Lee (@cpl_ignite) is the group managing director of Posterscope South Africa. He has over 21 years of working experience across the disciplines of architecture and retail design/brand communications and marketing management/advertising and media, across 11 pan-European and six pan-African regions. Craig’s monthly column on MarkLives, “Beyond Borders”, focuses on doing business in various African markets. Don’t forget to tune into his #eBizRetail slot on www.ebizradio.com.
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