PHD Perspectives: When the Agency Model Fails…Blame the Client?! - Lance Neuhauser - MediaBizBloggers

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Recently, twenty Belgian Ad Agencies went on a virtual strike. The strike is an attempt to change the client/agency pitch process and ultimately reduce the number of agencies allowed to compete for a piece of business. The argument is that three agencies are plenty. Any more than that is a blatant waste of resources which in the end hurts clients and the service they receive. Some of the agencies that are included in the strike are major players such as McCann Lowe, Kunstmaan, VVL BBDO, Saatchi, Punta Linea, and Famous.

Now, let me state clearly…

This commentary in no way, shape, or form plans on addressing the merits of the strike. I have no intention of trying to tackle in 700 words what is or is not a solvable issue in our industry. And, I definitely have no real stance on the Belgium market or its advertising charter, which apparently is supposed to govern such issues as pitching business.

Besides, I'm just a digital squirrel trying to get a digital nut. I have my own fights to fight.

However, from my digital-centric point of view, there's more to this story than agencies taking on the whims of clients. In fact, digitally, there's much more.

Twenty ad agencies, which constantly battle, constantly attempt to differentiate their services and their brand, came together for a common business cause. They did so by leveraging the digital space to take a stance, create a word of mouth movement, and grab worldwide attention for their cause.

Their unique approach:

Web site takeovers – Each agency dedicated its entire site to a portion of a message;

Web site Links – Each agency then linked directly to another agency's site to allow for the message continuation;

Media coverage and active social participation – videos, blogs, & articles…oh my!

What truly amazed me was how a few seemingly simply digital actions could demonstrate such a major unification. In a digital day and age our Web sites represent our brands as much as our logos, our packaging and our products. The fact that direct competitors used their Web sites, one of their most sacred forms of differentiation, to create one message for all to see blew me away.

Maybe things are different across the pond, but I can't even imagine the backroom conversations necessary to pull something like this off, and I certainly can't imagine a business situation in the states that can get 20 competitors to agree. Imagine what it would take to gain senior level buy-in, the calls it would take to calm the clients, and imagine the potential fight over who was the 1st page in the message and who was 20th!

Regardless, they did it and the digital community is rewarding them for it. A Google search reveals heavy action in the Twitter space and blogosphere. A Radian6 pull revealed a strong spike in conversation, and Facebook has shown an increase in Belgian ad fans…Belgian ad fans! Who would have thunk it?

Now, we must realize that this was a virtual strike and the only assets the agencies unified were their Web sites and digital PR responses. Nonetheless, unification demonstrated an amplification of a voice. Therefore, we as marketers must realize the power of unification. Granted, as an individual marketer we don't always have an ability to take on a major cause or create a major news event, and we almost never have an ability to pair up with a competitor. However, that type of aggressive action is not always necessary.

We are currently facing a time as individual brands when our individual brand assets (television commercials, Web properties, products, packaging, etc.) are not always saying the same thing, and therefore we are missing an opportunity to unify and amplify. If we addressed all our marketing with one voice, our voice and brand would be strong, very strong.

And all told, consumers want to hear from their brands. Consumers want us to engage in a conversation, but they want us to do so with one consistent brand voice across all channels and interaction points. Therefore, when we have a platform from which to speak, digitally and non, it is our responsibility to create and distribute a message of value. It is our responsibility to address our constituents and speak to their needs.

So go forth and speak!

"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. Goethe said that." – William Miller's mother, "Almost Famous"

Lance Neuhauser, EVP, U.S. Digital Director, PHD Media, an Omnicom Company. You can follow PHD's Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/PHDisSmartMedia

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