I spent most of Thursday at the AAAA Digital Conference "for Agencies of all types". I spoke last and as the guy from the PR Agency was feeling a little aprehensive.
My confession? I love advertising. Always have. In some way or another, I have worked in advertising since the early eighties. Part of the love affair is based upon the creativity expressed in some advertising from the big campaign idea down to the smallest execution (a blend of big, strategic thinking, writing and design and penultimate craft.) Part of that love is based upon connecting brands with the folks that really like (sometime love) them.
Don't get me wrong, I am torn. Having taken enough courses at Annenberg, I certainly recognize the insidious way that selling products can push people into a perpetual state of feeling inadequate: "If only I had that thing, I would feel more whole." It reminds me of the classic Steve Martin breakout pic, The Jerk. As he rejects and leaves his home, he grabs one possession after another, scooping them up in his arms as essential somehow to who he is; "I don't need anything....except this lamp...my vase....this chair"
But if you have a need (and we all have them), and products and services meet or exceed them (probably because they listen to the consumer all of the time) then connecting people with those brands can actually be kind of cool. Sometimes it's connecting people with a financial service that can help them, sometimes it's getting then to get checked for colorectal cancer to save their lives.
The Real Question
The question that surfaced at the AAAA meeting was about what type of agency will be best suited for the digital future in front of us. And the choice was really framed between digital pure-play and multi-media ad agency. Wrong question. Agencies will all become digital experts. Sure, some will be better at it than others, but the "specialty shop" will become the one that doesn't do digital in the future.
The right question is how integrated will Public Relations become with traditional advertising. Even Matt Freeman, CEO of Tribal DDB, said that the future is indelibly linked to Earned Media vs. paid media.
Upstart agencies like Naked and CPB are trying campaigns that are more agnostic. Ogilvy (my company) is doing more and more engagements where we work side by side with our ad brothers and sisters. I am sure there are other stories like this. But I am also sure that their is a certain hubris inside ad agencies that make it hard for them to link up with PR firms except when a client demands it. Or the ad agency is too busy trying to be a generalist that they discount the expertise of another agency type. Some of that is fueled by the dynamic of P&L's, revenue targets and generally competitive business practices. Some is driven by the effect of ad agencies and the media budgets they control (used to control) being on top for so many years. It is hard to be a partner when you are convinced of your own supremacy. Nothing makes this clearer than the current tension between media firms and ad agencies as the former push creative ideas well ahead of the the ad firms used to generating "the big idea."
Of course it will help as PR firms become more and more sophisticated in measurement. When we start a client engagement with a discussion of metrics vs. the flashy tactic, we earn more respect at the table. Right now, ad agencies can refer back to the accepted measurement models, many of which are built on sand, and be definitive about their impact. The planners work on the effective channels et al. Their biggest question is about whether their campaign is relevant.
I tried to ask about PR and ad agency integration at the conference. There was not a lot of time for any Q&A and the organizers used a system of question cards that left them "in control" but left the audience a bit out of the picture. (But is was a great conference)
Integration of PR and advertising is affected by how our clients are organized, too. Most firms have a Communications (PR) function and a Marketing function. They frequently report up different chains to the CEO. That doesn't inherently breed integration, but it doesn't preclude it either. Clients are looking to agencies for leadership as much as service.
What is the right model for integration for today:
- PR & Advertising
- PR & Advertising & Word of Mouth
- PR & Advertising & Media & Word of Mouth
- PR & Advertising & Media & Word of Mouth & Event/Retail
Anyhow, the list of possible combinations mirrors the collection of firms with our WPP universe. They can all be combined as needed. That's one of the promises behind the big holding companies.
But what if we truly integrated advertising and PR?
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