The Advertising Age article, The Ad Agency of the Future Is Coming. Are You Ready?, is one that you may have seen. If you haven’t, set aside some time to read it.
As industry leaders from Procter & Gamble, Wunderman, PepsiCo, Omincom and others describe their views of the “Ad Agency of the Future”… how do you feel about the future they portray?
The ideas the article presents are exciting and intriguing, and foster a sense of urgency in being positioned for the future (which you are probably feeling already!).
Just some of them:
- “The term ‘agency’ will…go away and be replaced by the term ‘partner’.” – Brad Jakeman, President, Global Beverage Group, PepsiCo.
- “There won’t be a lead agency but disciplines sitting as equal partners in a much more fluid structure.” – Mark Read, CEO, WPP Wunderman and WPP Digital.
- “We know that tech spend with the CMO’s will be growing three to four times bigger and faster than with the CIO’s.” – Maurice Levy, CEO, Publicis Groupe.
The outlook that these and many other industry leaders quoted in the article echoes what we hear through our surveys and the reports we publish. Of note:
- The RSW/US Agency of the Future Webinar addresses many of the trends industry leaders in the AdAge article describe.
- The 2016 RSW/US Thought Leader Survey Report enlisted six industry thought leaders to address major trends. A common thread across all thought leaders was the importance of strong agency differentiation and positioning.
- The 2016 New Year Outlook Survey Report, amongst other insights, revealed the growing tendency of Marketers to assign project work versus traditional AOR assignments. It also exhibited the emphasis Marketers are putting on analytical ability.
It won’t be long before you start making plans for 2017. As you do so, allow the strategic planning horizon expand to really chart a definitive future for the next several years. If the future seems to be coming faster every day, it’s probably an accurate sensation!
You are welcome to utilize the resources we have available for you. The “Resources” tab on our website provides videos, survey results, eBooks, webinars and more that can assist your planning. And of course, we’re always happy to talk. Just give us a call.
Mark Sneider
Mark is a 30-year veteran of the consumer packaged goods, advertising, and marketing service industry. Mark started his career at DDB Needham in Chicago prior to earning his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Business School at Northwestern where he majored in Marketing and Economics. Prior to starting RSW/US in 2005, Mark was General Manager for AcuPOLL, a global research consultancy. Sneider worked in Marketing for S.C. Johnson and KAO Brands. Sneider has been invited to speak at numerous Agency events and network conferences domestically and internationally including the 4A’s, Magnet, NAMA, TAAN, and MCAN. Sneider has been featured in prominent industry publications including Adweek, Media Post, e-Marketer, and Forbes. When not working (which often seems like not often), Mark likes to run miles, go to church, and just chill with a hard copy issue of Fast Company.