The End of the (Ad Agency) World
1/7/2011 12:03:02 PM by Brent Beshore
Based on the title, youʼre probably expecting this to be the 1.3 millionth doomsday post about everything thatʼs wrong with the advertising agency business. Nope. Not even close. I believe that ship has already sailed. Regardless of which side of that equation youʼre on, if you havenʼt figured it out, your ship has already hit the iceberg, is taking on water, and may already be a heap of twisted metal drifting towards the ocean depths. Both brands and agencies alike.
This is about hope. About passion. About creating true value.
Hereʼs my perspective: Advertising used to be about creating pretty things. Those pretty things sold more because they were the only significant differentiation mechanism among the big four (print, radio, TV, billboard) media types. The internet changed everything. The future is about breaking down the barriers between earned, owned, and bought media. The future is about the commingling of human networks, with the creation of value as the key objective.
Successful brands will be worldly, yet understand local. They will recognize the need to say something; to take a stand.
There is no longer a magic formula for success. Brand nirvana no longer includes creating a beautiful ad and buying 1000 points of TV. Might be helpful for some, but itʼs just a brick in the Lego Taj Mahal.
Hereʼs the honest truth: No one has it figured out yet. No one. Not Pete Cashmore. Not Crispin Porter. Not the two-man band down the street. Not me.
While that might sound scary, it should be one of the most encouraging things youʼve heard in a long time. If no one has it figured out and the market cornered, opportunities abound. And from my perspective the businesses formerly known as “ad agencies” are among the best positioned to lead the innovation.
Going back to the days of yesteryear (note, I wasnʼt alive), when the Don Drapers sipped scotch and pitched the health benefits of cigarettes, the ad agency world has always been about looking at the world differently. Itʼs the pedigree of the agency world. Itʼs always been about creativity, innovation, and problem solving. The only difference between now and then is choice. Don Draper had four options and very few permutations. I have 10,000 options and almost limitless permutations.
So letʼs do what weʼve always done and innovate. Yes, pretty still can be important, but itʼs tertiary at best. Give people a reason to care and a mechanism to show and share their excitement. How can you do that? Just imagine. Test. Rinse and repeat.