Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Back in the day media people in fullservice agencies suffered from a lack of understanding and recognitionamp160 Entrusted with spending huge chunks of budget they we not unnaturally felt that the focus on creative above all else was at best imbalanced and at worst irresponsibleIf only the media people were in charge amp8230Well we got our wayamp160 The rise of the media agencies the obsession with lowering media costs the profits swollen by grey incomeamp160and the appearance of a media form understood by the few and yet lauded by the many has got us to where we are nowamp160amp160And where we are is really not all that greatSo where did it all go wrongHolding companies became their media agencies39 clientsamp160 Real clients became the means to an end not the end in itselfamp160 The end was delivering profit to the holding companies and as long as clients didn39t ask most of them didn39t where their money was being spent that was as easy as shelling peasNow we have to live with the consequences of which there are severalFirst clients are wising up courtesy of the ANA the WFA Jon Mandel Ebiquity IDComms K2 and othersSecond the pathetic reaction of some of the network agencies that this whole thing is a conspiracy made up by people who really don39t understand quotthe real worldquotamp160is about to vanish if the Campaignamp160scoop of a few weeks ago that the FBI is now involved turns out to be trueThird an alternative has appeared in the form of the management consultancies we may as well use the plural as Accenture is not going to be alone for longamp160 The agencies overhyped data capabilities are now under threat from people who genuinely have these capabilities and in spadesFourth increasing numbers of advertisers are taking elements of the media role inhouse preferring not to hand their data over to a supplier who may well turn out not to be a longterm partnerThose who focused on rebates over clients39 needs brought the industry to the brink of disasterAs with everything step one is to recognize the problemamp160 Just as the big network agencies caused this mess so can they bring the sector39s reputation back from the brinkamp160 Stephen Allen39s Campaign pieceamp160is a good start in recognizing that the breakdown of trust caused in large part by the whole transparency debate is forcing change within agenciesPulling back from the brink is quite possible if the media agencies put their undoubted skills to work to benefit their clients ahead of everything elseClick 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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Where Did It All Go Wrong?

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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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Where Did It All Go Wrong?

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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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