Every day I walk past a rather grand building on the same street as my squalid office which is occupied by Tribal DDB and wonder how long they will carry on doing well. They obviously have some talented people, but what are they for?
This came to mind when, as a fond connoisseur of pretentious cliche I came upon this in Marketing magazine, which was discussing whether there was any future for digital agencies:
Dylan Williams, head of strategy at Mother, believes this is symptomatic of a watershed moment in the evolution of digital.
God, I hope he doesn’t talk like that to his family, but it reminded me of something that great man Victor Ross once said which managed to belittle the tripe ad agency poseurs come out with about strategy:
“My idea of strategy is deciding where to go to lunch.”
However, the article was interesting, as what Mr. Williams was talking about was that advertisers are now realising there is no good reason to go to specialist digital agencies.
As a matter of fact, it has never been clear to me why advertisers should rely so much on specialists. If you can convey ideas, know how to persuade and you take the trouble to study the various media, you should be able to work in all of them.
Your prospects do not adjust their emotions or motivations when they turn from the computer to watch the TV or pick up the paper or catch sight of a poster – any more than I do when I write this, rather than an ad or an email or draft a speech – with or without slides
Specialism is dangerous; and one good example dates back to the days when I first entered advertising. TV advertising had just arrived in the U.K. so all the agencies rushed to hire people who had film, rather than advertising experience.
Incidentally, I was just about to put this up when I read another classic from an Aussie advertising mag:
It’s essential to script the customer scenarios for action that boost conversion rates. Beyond publishing content online, you need to focus on achieving your online goals, blend the push of the web with the pull of email, and track customer experiences across your multiple touch-points.That reminds me. When he didn’t like a piece of copy, Fairfax Cone would look at the writer and ask: “Would you say that to someone you know?”
Well, would you?
I would argue there should be no such thing as “Full Service Digital Agency” – that's like saying “we do it all on digital, you name it”. Everyone with a decent internet connection can call themselves Digital Agencie as long as they figure out how to monetise what digital has to offer.
I would prefer a specialized agency, like the expert on facebook, expert on mobile – on a particular part of the digital environment, and really be the expert. Unless that happens, I don''t see any chance for so called full service digital agencies.
In Romania for instance I think there are 100 digital agencies and they're all doing everything – I don't think 1% market share can be looked at as successful business…
Well, Raul, we disagree 100%. I am saying that 1) Such narrow specialisation is wrong 2) Clients don't want it according to the piece I quoted from – they want agencies to handle everything 3) Agencies should be able to do so. 4) Customers should receive one consistent message through all media 5) The technical aspects should not be a barrier
I'm glad you disagree – if we would agree, there'd be no point having a dialogue 🙂
Reality (at least in my country) is we have no people knwoing what they're doing on digital. They have no idea whatsoever, nor have the clients.
For example: when Second Life was a phenomenon here, everyone was admiring it, how cool it was. They were all busy creating avatars and so on. Last month, a bank opened up on Second Life. Needless to say second life is now dead here…
My point is: instead on figuring out how to make a business out of everything happening on digital, they all pretend they do all, when in fact they do nothing…
In my humble opinion, based on my experience and borrowed/stolen knowledge, there are three conditions:
1. Does their work sells or helps selling?
(That’s the business, isn’t it?)
2. Are the artistic/aesthetic values of their work primarily in the function of selling?
(I still remember that idiotic and thanks-God-short-lived trend at the beginning of 2000’s of small font for up-to-7-words slogans on photography-dominated billboard posters. Nivea had them, for instance. It looked so fancy and it was so unreadable.)
3. Does their work respect the target group/audience?
(good example of total disrespect for chicke… I mean, customers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV–Zpdu1nI)
Of course, there are advertisers’ decision makers who will always fall for mystifiers with BS in BS (those who say that i.e. ‘Absence of acceleration does not contribute to the desirable speed level’, instead of ‘It’s too slow’.) It is not only those decision makers who are to be exec… sorry, educated, but their employers too.
And – OK, let the people have their specialized boutiques or even ‘full (?!) service’ agencies if they know their specialized job. Of course, if they learnt the ‘hard selling’ basics at the first place. Their specialized job is the second most important thing for them to know. And it will be totally irrelevant if it’s not in the function of the first one.
So, at the end, by my thin book, it’s more about the advertiser’s ‘touch point’ with the ‘promotional apparatus’ and the way they organized their work with it: some advertisers like to have just one contractor to deal with, i.e. some dinosaur IMC agency, and let them engage all others subcontractors – a print house, a video production studio, a digital marketing agency… On the other hand, some advertisers are more ‘control-freakish’, so they contact directly with all specialized contractors… Of course, it doesn’t really matter, as long as all of the work of all (sub)contractors is in accordance with the advertiser’s selling/marketing/communication strategy. Each advertiser should know the best which of two options is more affordable, value-for-money and/or time-saving for them, isn’t it?
Love the absence of acceleration bit. Did you make it up?
And, yes:
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/
“We believe that everyone should have access to clear and concise information.”
Advertisers too?