Adweek recently announced that Organic’s Colleen DeCourcy will take the new role of chief experience officer at JWT….
It’s a sign that the battle for Agency 2.0 is in full swing. There are a lot of definitions floating around about what Agency 2.0 is.
For what it’s worth–I’ll offer up my unofficial version. Agency 2.0 is the next-generation model that many Advertising/Marketing agencies are actively seeking. It promises to heavily influence how a brand is “marketed” and experienced across a variety of customer touchpoints and channels. (Think Citibank “Thank You” and Citibank online, ATM experience etc.–then imagine one agency leading the charge across these multi-faceted initiatives.)
So what about DeCourcy did JWT take fancy to?
JWT’s chief creative officer Ty Montague described DeCourcy as a “big thinker who has one of those four-dimensional minds.” At JWT, she’s expected to work with all clients and contribute to new business development efforts. “I want to be able to deploy her in situations where she is most needed,” Montague said.
From interactive, to word of mouth–agencies across the globe want to position themselves as the driving force behind the strategies which help connect people with brands/business. So who will emerge as Agency 2.0?
Some feel that the large traditional agencies are best positioned to do this. Others, see the nimble interactive shops having the most relevant experience. Still others see the media agencies or marketing firms paving the way. No one really knows how this will turn out–but one thing for sure is that the agency world is taking action before our very eyes and it’s pretty amazing to see. It’s going to be an interesting ride–stay tuned…
Related posts:
Maybe Agency 2.0 won’t be an agency at all, but an individual, modeled on people such as Seth Godin or Jay Conrad Levinson. Today, marketing consultants may be best positioned for a new world of marketing the old world of agencies (rooted in media buys, regardless of how adamantly they deny it) just can’t manage. I can see a business process similar to construction in which a general contractor (the consultant) oversees the work of multiple sub-contractors (ad agencies, mail houses, interactive groups, PR, etc.).
Wow, things seem to move so fast in the blogosphere it makes my head spin. This is a wonderful story David, and it so resonates with some stuff that i’ve been jamming on. I love the fact that marketing and customer experience are coming together like this. IMHO opinion the battle for agency 2.0 should help define what marketing 2.0 really is:
http://blog.experiencecurve.com/archives/marketing-20
Jonathan,
That’s a really interesting way to look at this. The individual instead of the big agency. Uh-oh, look what just popped in my inbox…
looks like FCB and Draft are merging to form Draft FCB.
http://www.adage.com/article?article_id=109599
Karl, Amen. Keep it up, you’ve been on top of this for a while.
A few thoughts I’ve been collecting recently releted to next-gen marketing/advertising and experiences.
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/agency_20/index.html
Great article. The thing that hits me is the potential for Agency 2.0 to become about as “tired” as Web 2.0 discussions have become. Coming up with the next-generation agency is a good thing, as long as it’s not all hype! There is, without a doubt, a need for more comprehensive, experience-based agency support. At the same time, talk can be cheap. Before buying into an agency pitch, ask to see their best examples of cross-channel client experience. Then go experience it yourself. Then ask to speak to a representative of the brand they worked with, and even obtain information about customer response and reaction. This will help you see how really seamless and comprehensive the experience the agency created is — and how much of a role they played in creating it.
Thanks Leigh
The reality is that all of this 2.0 talk reeks of hype–guilty as charged.
But it’s just a pithy way to reference the shift we’re seeing. Good point you bring up about “talk is cheap”–we’re already seeing everyone and their mother talk about “the customer experience” blah blah blah.
Fact is that few marketing firms really get this as a holistic principal–but as JWT shows, folks are waking up to the fact that new skillsets are sorely needed.
-D
IMHO the 2.0 thing is less about hype and more about creating an umbrella concept for all the ’stuff’ that is blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, tags, co-creation, citizen media, WOM, lead users. In other words the micromedia that are turning the marketing, PR, branding, and advertising business on it’s head. With cluetrain, hughtrain, pinko, micro etc. we are in the process of creating brand silos that do not add to the general understanding of the marketplace.
I’ve created a more comprehensive rant that, Ann-willing, you will see here on monday
Cheers,
karl
Pleased to come across this blog tonight. Found it pretty near the top of a google on “database marketing” – so you’re doing something right. I think marketing services agencies are probably third closest to taking the lead behind PR agencies and influential individuals. But no one has “won” yet. I’m staying tuned.