Admittedly, this is quite a scary headline. Our Advertising Agencies have been good for our brands over the years. We enjoyed a ‘fruitful’ relationship, especially the quarterly languid liquid lunches and rugby box tickets! But, are they still ‘fit-for-purpose?’
Prior to the Digital Revolution, the Advertising Agency was the beginning and end of all Advertising Strategies. The linchpin and the centerpiece. The Account Managers gathered their troupes from Creative to Traffic and Production to document the almighty brief. This was translated into above and below-the-line executions. The message would simply cascade from the TV commercial to the other mediums. However, times have changed – significantly. And like any relationship with an expiration date on it, when it’s time, it’s time.
What’s changed in the world of Advertising?
Pretty much everything! Todays evolving digital landscape has given rise to a myriad of splintered channels and self-contained platforms. Each with their own set of audience preferences and language. Native content driven by digital warriors and specialists is far outperforming intrusive commercials. So, when one brand now needs to have a voice across 25 marketing channels versus 5, specialists are becoming more valuable than generalists. To get your message to cut through the noise across a multitude of platforms no longer works with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Neither is it feasible for one Agency to provide clients with internal specialists who know the intricacies of each channel.
What the future of Advertising looks like
There’s a new crop of companies out there who are building their own specialist teams. And they are not in-house either. This is a collaborative approach where you hand-pick an external team and bring them onboard on a project-basis. Find social media specialists, digital production companies, content writers and influencer marketing firms that know how to capture the attention of a very specific audience. Your specialist team may work well together, and you can continue to the next project. The primary benefit being that you are not obliged to stay with a team that comprises only generalists stretching to bridge the digital divide. Neither are you bound by lengthy retainer contracts that don’t always yield the desired results, like selling more product!
Reward the Collaborative Advertising Approach
As the main conductor of your orchestra, you’ll need to ensure your specialist team has a track record of successful collaboration. Ask them for concrete examples of previous collaborations. You can also put together an incentive structure that rewards the cross-pollination between the specialist teams and marketing platforms. A great way to ‘on-board’ your specialist team is to invite them to a ‘Brand Immersion’ as an initial meeting of minds and to impart a comprehensive understanding of the brand DNA.
The magic that happens when fresh minds apply their area of specialization will pleasantly amaze you.
And so will the real bottom-line results.
For those brands looking to replace their Advertising Agency with a team of specialists who can thrive in the current era of platform and audience proliferation, talk to us. The #girlgeeks at Creative Imagineering have these areas of specialization: graphic design, web design, content management and social media. We are ready to join your team.