7 new agency models

“Just as every generation of teenagers believes they've invented sex, so each successive generation of ad people appear to think that they are the first to stumble on the integration issue.” (Tim Lindsay)

While it is true that integration is not a new thing, the last 2 decade’s dominance of specialism in communication (starting with the split of media and creative agencies) means that as an industry we are not as well adapted to the changing situation. All communications agencies worth their salt are talking about becoming “integrated” and “media/ channel neutral” but there are few that are truly doing it.

Types of agencies trying to respond to changing media landscape;
1) Media Agencies (e.g. MEC’s Creative Solutions, Initiative’s “Lab@Initiative”)
2) Creative/ media agencies (e.g. CHI + Partners, Hurrell Moseley, Adam and Eve)
3) Creative/ digital agencies (e.g. Goodby Silverstein, DDB/ Tribal,
4) Vertical Specialist (e.g. Martin, Glue)
5) Creative Agency groups (e.g. AMVBBDO Group, Ogilvy Group)
6) Anomalies (e.g. Anomaly, Analogue Folk, Barbarian Group)
7) Integrated agencies (e.g. Rapier, Draft FCB, VCCP)

1) Media Agencies (e.g. MEC’s Creative Solutions, Initiative’s “Lab@Initiative”)
These agencies are trying to deliver creative solutions to clients but they end up setting their sights too low. They will only set up to deliver creative content ideas with their media owner partners or advertising. They do not have the sales promotions or relationship marketing expertise needed.

2) Creative/ media agencies (e.g. CHI + Partners, Hurrell Moseley, Adam and Eve, Kirshenbaum and Bond, Deutsch)
Like the media agencies, these players are still obsessed with advertising rather than relationship marketing, experiential, etc. They have no integrated case-studies on their websites despite talking a good game. http://www.chiandpartners.com/ http://www.hmdg.com/ http://www.adamandevelondon.com/ http://www.kb.com/ http://www.deutschinc.com/

3) Creative/ digital agencies (e.g. Goodby Silverstein, DDB/ Tribal)
These are agencies that have embraced the opportunity for digital, as shown by the Milk “Get the glass” Game from Goodby http://www.goodbysilverstein.com/main_site/main.html or the Monopoly Live activity http://www.tribalddb.com/popup.asp?ID=14&rndm=7715
But they haven’t embraced relationship marketing, experiential, etc.

4) Vertical Specialists (e.g. Martin, Glue)
One agency that really is integrated and follows the consumer through the customer journey (from ads to DM to in-store) is Martin in the US. It is however a car specialist agency. http://www.martinadvertising.com/home_night.html That wouldn’t work in this market but we are beginning to see a similar trend here. Glue finally persuaded 3 to give them their ATL business recently. One of the reasons given for this is that the nature of the target audience and the business meant that digital is the key channel. Might Glue start picjking up simialtr clients for integrated business?

5) Creative Agency groups (e.g. AMVBBDO Group, Ogilvy Group)
Both these full service groups have been around for a long time but there are surprisingly few integrated case-studies ion their websites. In fact only one; for Royal Mail Special Delivery for AMV. http://www.amvgroup.com/ http://www.ogilvy.co.uk/

6) Anomalies (e.g. Anomaly, Analogue Folk, Barbarian Group)
These have all the hallmarks of being truly neutral in their thinking e.g. Analogue Folk’s Race the Tube Asics campaign http://www.asicstuberace.com/ and Barbarian Group’s CNN T-shirts campaign http://edition.cnn.com/tshirt/#gallery . But they aren’t established in the UK nor do they have the expert ability in experiential, sales promotion or relationship

7) Integrated agencies (e.g. Rapier, Draft FCB, VCCP, Engine)
These appear to be the closest to being able to deliver the integrated campaigns that client need. They each have a number of truly integrated examples on their websites – (for Engine) the Beck’s Fusion online, event and sales promotion thing and the Nokia Siemens Networks online, ads and PR thing; AA, AXA and Virgin (Rapier); Know your Limits for VCCP