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Any threat is by definition going to primarily affect the holding companies39 media operations as opposed to the independents amp160First the holding companies hoover up somewhere around 90 of global ad spend amp160Second their client bases are full of advertisers already working with management consultancies amp160Third they are the ones most accused of a lack of transparency and therefore those with the largest trust issueThe agencies hold one huge card amp160Unlike the management consultancies they are able to link execution to planning thus ensuring that what is planned is actually deliveredThat39s the theory amp160As the Cog Blog every other industry blogger every trade magazine every analyst and every trade body well knows the reality has been that the network agencies have far too often placed buying and the creation of revenue for themselves ahead of objective planning designed to do the best job for the clientIn the last few weeks holding company share prices have dipped amp160Omnicom the new business success story of the last 12 months has come through the period relatively unscathed but the others have not amp160The dip has been blamed on FMCG companies spending less on media amp160Setting aside for a moment all those agency boasts that these days their revenues come very largely from fees based on work done as opposed to commissions on spends this is at best only a part of the storyThe media revenues gravy train has hit the buffers and the holding companies are now feeling the impact of the work done by the ANA ISBA the WFA and all those associated with their initiativesThis is a good thing in that it will force the networks to rebalance their business model away from unofficial media revenues and towards client approved feesMedia agencies have plenty of bright peopleamp160committed to their clients and focused on doing the best job they possibly can on their behalfs amp160The problem is that for years these people have been seen internally as far less significant than the traders the selfstyled real generators of revenueExternally it39s a little different amp160Pick up any trade magazineamp160or visit LinkedIn or Twitter and what you39ll likely see from the agencies is strategists going on about the broadest and most significant topics du jour staff diversity is a current fave futurists airing this and that random thought or agency CEOs praising their staffs amp160None of these things are in the least objectionable staff diversity matters and the futurists are always worth a read but they hardly address the threats facing the modern media agencyThere has been one improvement amp160Headlines about Agency A committing millions to Vendor Y seem to have been consigned to the bin as agencies have realized that boasting about agency deals might not be the smartest play right now amp160What would be smart would be a campaign created with the sole objective of promoting the agency39s very real planningled strengths amp160Align all messages from the CEO through the strategist and the futurist and on to the data guy the insight team the planners and yes the traders around a core thoughtExpress it through different lenses by all means but ensure all messages help build the narrative amp160This is after all what the agencies spend their lives telling clients to doNow might be a very good time to follow their own adviceClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Brian Jacobs

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Brian Jacobs

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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