Daniele Fiandaca, COO of Profero, on the agency of the future:
First and foremost, it will need to have digital at its core. This is where audiences are migrating, so it's vital that marketers understand what the best way is to talk to this new connected consumer.Second, the agency is likely to be entrepreneurial and multi-functional. Some of the best creative and media ideas in the US, both offline and online, are coming from quick-thinking hot-shops like Crispin Porter & Bogusky and Goodby Silverstein, and new kids on the block like Strawberry Frog and Taxi.This leads to a third point, that as agencies we need to be far more open in our models and should be looking to add value to our clients beyond simple communication strategies. The US agency Anomaly has done this to extremely good effect in areas like product innovation and business transformation.Finally ... media and creative thinking needs to be far more integrated in this digital environment and, if not under one roof as is becoming far more prevalent, then working much more closely together.So does this put those agencies like ours, born in the era of digital engagement and technology-enabled measurement, in a prime position to regain the strategic ear of senior marketers and CEOs? It should do, but something is holding digital agencies back.The fact is, above-the-line ad agencies still hold the key relationships, albeit less influentially than before. This means few clients have made the leap to entrust digital agencies with the strategic lead. How many times have we come up with a fantastic idea that can work through the line only for the above-the-line agency to say it doesn't, and the client simply agrees?If digital agencies want to break this cycle, I'd argue the first thing they need to do is, paradoxically, to drop the 'digital' label. The fact is that we're advertising / marketing / communications agencies that simply have digital at our core.As a sign of maturity and confidence, we need to hire traditional agency talent, the kind that already enjoys the recognition - and ear - of clients at senior level. This will cost money but hopefully the investment will be rewarded with increasing influence and engagement. If we do this and continue to deliver, I have no doubt that clients will realise that the best thinking can come as much from agencies with digital roots as it can from those with above-the-line pedigrees.
First and foremost, it will need to have digital at its core. This is where audiences are migrating, so it's vital that marketers understand what the best way is to talk to this new connected consumer.
Second, the agency is likely to be entrepreneurial and multi-functional. Some of the best creative and media ideas in the US, both offline and online, are coming from quick-thinking hot-shops like Crispin Porter & Bogusky and Goodby Silverstein, and new kids on the block like Strawberry Frog and Taxi.
This leads to a third point, that as agencies we need to be far more open in our models and should be looking to add value to our clients beyond simple communication strategies. The US agency Anomaly has done this to extremely good effect in areas like product innovation and business transformation.
Finally ... media and creative thinking needs to be far more integrated in this digital environment and, if not under one roof as is becoming far more prevalent, then working much more closely together.
So does this put those agencies like ours, born in the era of digital engagement and technology-enabled measurement, in a prime position to regain the strategic ear of senior marketers and CEOs? It should do, but something is holding digital agencies back.
The fact is, above-the-line ad agencies still hold the key relationships, albeit less influentially than before. This means few clients have made the leap to entrust digital agencies with the strategic lead. How many times have we come up with a fantastic idea that can work through the line only for the above-the-line agency to say it doesn't, and the client simply agrees?
If digital agencies want to break this cycle, I'd argue the first thing they need to do is, paradoxically, to drop the 'digital' label. The fact is that we're advertising / marketing / communications agencies that simply have digital at our core.
As a sign of maturity and confidence, we need to hire traditional agency talent, the kind that already enjoys the recognition - and ear - of clients at senior level. This will cost money but hopefully the investment will be rewarded with increasing influence and engagement. If we do this and continue to deliver, I have no doubt that clients will realise that the best thinking can come as much from agencies with digital roots as it can from those with above-the-line pedigrees.
Robin Grant
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
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