Comments on: Agency 2.Who?

By: Dirk Plantinga

Dirk Plantinga — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 02:20:10 +0000

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.

By: Karl Long

Karl Long — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:43:44 +0000

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

By: David Armano

David Armano — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 18:54:46 +0000

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

By: Leigh Duncan

Leigh Duncan — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 16:31:29 +0000

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.

By: David Armano

David Armano — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:59:58 +0000

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

By: David Armano

David Armano — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:46:22 +0000

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

By: karl long

karl long — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:05:24 +0000

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

By: Jonathan Kranz

Jonathan Kranz — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 13:27:47 +0000

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.).