A couple of weeks ago at She Says the main topic of discussion was the whole ‘Traditional’ vs ‘Digital’ debate. I totally agree with Jo Hagger at Glue London when she said ‘Let’s stop having the debate and concentrate on becoming the agencies we need to be’ (and it is good to know that there are quite a few agencies who are doing exactly that). However with CS Antwerp coming up at the end of this week, there is always a risk that it will come up and be a topic of discussion. I therefore thought it would be interesting to put pen to paper and write what my own views are, which of course have been heavily inspired by previous Creative Socials (see here and here for previous posts). Anyway below is are my ramblings. I am sure that not everyone will agree and certainly there are quite a few generalisations in there but I hope that it will at least get people thinking. However if you cannot be bothered to read it I do think Lars Bastholm summarised it very well recently when he said “If your skill is in digital, learn storytelling. If your skill is in storytelling, learn digital”.
Traditional (trads) v Digital (Digs). For over a decade, since the emergence of the first genuinely competitive digital agencies, the two have rubbed uncomfortably up against each other, rarely finding a relaxed opposition as the fight for the communications space unfolded. As that space becomes, inevitably, more interactive the need for specialists recedes and the opportunity for digital to finally sit at the top table, no longer servants, is becoming a reality. Digital agencies argue that traditionals are, quite simply, not aligned to the new connected consumer and the balance of power has shifted. The future looks a very different proposition.
So, what will the agency of the future look like? What can we learn from either model that will define how we make connections into the next decade? With so many variations on the digital theme, and a growing number of agencies working across so many, often blurred, disciplines – Advertising, Design, Production, Web Development, Media, Search, Social Media and Full Service – the landscape can appear confusing. What is digital? And where are the battle lines drawn? For the purpose of this piece I have assumed we are working solely within advertising, and from that perspective, no matter digital’s evolution, traditional agencies still hold the upper hand in several areas.
Firstly, relationships. One of the very first things I learnt in this industry was that you do not lose clients because of bad work; you lose them because of bad relationships (it is far easier to address a work issue than to repair a fractured relationship). The best of the traditional agencies understand this above almost everything else and so, naturally, go all-out to nurture these crucial bonds. Consequently, they are masterful at convincing clients of specific credentials, even before they have any to speak of. A genuine digital capability just one of these ghost skills and it is still startling to see how many trads have yet to invest time and resource in a real understanding of digital and yet advertise it as a core part of their service.
Secondly, traditionals understand the value of great storytelling – indisputably the most powerful way of engaging with an audience. Today the platform for that storytelling may have changed but the skills remain the same. It still comes from understanding people: something that UK planners do better than anyone else in the world. Despite employing some of the best in the business over its relatively short life-span, however, digital still falls someway short of the depth of talent that traditional can boast and, while in time it will undoubtedly accrue a diverse cross-section of brilliant strategists, it remains, for now, distinctly second best.
Thirdly, traditionals have a deeper well of seniority. While it is not an exact science, the average age of digital senior management is quite a bit younger than that of its traditional counterpart and, as we all know, the one thing that money cannot buy is the gold dust of experience.
Traditional 3 – Digital 0
So, if not the core triumvirate of relationships, storytelling or seniority, what exactly do the digitals bring to the table? Well, crucially, digital is born out of innovation and flexibility. By its very nature it is a medium that evolves and adapts at a pace and with an aptitude with which traditional cannot compete. If, over years of hard-worn experience, one can become an “expert†in traditional planning, such a notion is anathema in digital as expertise, in this relentlessly advancing universe, is so short-lived. “Experts†come and go with the seasons. Yet far from being a negative attribute, this ensures that digital agencies are filled with passionate and hungry thinkers, avariciously consuming ideas and possibilities and stretching them to the very limits of their potential in the search for the optimal results for their clients. This adaptability also means greater scope to shape effective business models around the fluctuations of the broader marketing economy. When the world does emerge from the current recession, as it inevitably will, will traditional, with its rich heritage, entrenched practices and rigidity, be able to claim to have genuinely adapted to the new models that this world will demand? For digital, already well versed in the importance of flexibility, this adjustment will be a far less painful process.
In terms of understanding people, digital also holds a trump card. The notion of the “connected consumer†barely existed a decade ago but today, such is the proliferation of Linked media, one is hard pushed to think of an alternative kind. Just look at some of the changes in the last 12 months – Linked In monthly visitors are up from 3.6m in April 2008 to 7.7m in 2009 as people use itto look for new jobs. People are deliberately buying online to avoid going to the high street where impulse purchases may wreck their budgeting. Ogilvy Action reports 40% of purchase decisions are now made in-store, down from 70% a year ago. Any agency that can match human nature with actual behaviour, and how people chose to connect with brands in the new, digital world, sits in the box seat. Digital agencies, and indeed full-service digital agencies, are primed for this.
Finally, if there is a greater seniority quota in traditional then, perhaps not entirely unrelated, I have found that there are far less egos in digital (although some I know some people beg to differ). This has allowed creative cooperatives and collectives, such as Creative Social, to become so successful. It also helps explain why digital agencies are far more collaborative, and enthusiastic about the possibilities of collaboration – something that will be fundamental to the agency of the future. Most digitals are now very familiar with, and see the benefits of, taking a back seat when appropriate; of accepting that the best ideas are not always the newest. It is, simply, the most productive way of working, for both client and the consumer. As more and more clients begin to comprehend the potential that sits within the digital walls, and how it is increasingly germane in driving thinking in the connected world, these attitudes will have to change. If they do not, traditionals will fester. It was, for example, intriguing to hear the Head of Marketing of a successful sportswear brand recently recall pulling his traditional, digital and PR agencies into a briefing to announce that the agency with the best idea would lead. It is a scenario that two or more years ago would have been unthinkable, but today feels perfectly logical. Although he would not admit it outright, the agency that had to be dragged kicking-and-screaming was neither digital nor PR-focused. This scenario of rebellion, self-service, egotism and over-sensitivity must be consigned to a two-dimensional past. If the new marketing future is about delivering the most effective campaigns, and the most effective campaigns only, then the best idea must lead. The others must dig-in and follow. It may not sit comfortably with the well-heeled heads of traditional behemoths, so used to dominating and corralling clients and “smaller†agencies, but if the work is to meet consumer demands, and the alternative is irrelevant and bad advertising, then they have no choice.
Traditional 3 – Digital 3
So who will win? Happily, the answer is not clear-cut. This is not an either/or debate. The agencies of the future will, in fact, be those that are willing to adapt; those that play both to their strengths and are demonstrate a willingness and ability to evolve to meet new demands; those that understand that the world has changed and so they must, too; both digital and traditional. What is absolute is that agencies need to widen their scope and position themselves to deliver creativity and strategy across the whole communications spectrum, as well as solving business problems. In this respect, the demands of the new connected world provide agencies borne of the digital era with a fantastic springboard. However, there can be no doubt that many more of them will need to deliver work that stands-up to the best of the traditional legacy, and provide genuine business solutions, to prove they deserve to be there. Work like Comparethemeerkat, Nike+ or Walker’s Do Us A Flavour: impactful, brilliant, bold, effective, consumer-led and valuable.
Not so long ago Bob Greenberg, founder of R/GA, remarked, “Digital agencies are obliged to fight harder, therefore, it’s just a matter of time before they are leading the pack.†Well, the next 12 months might just reveal how pertinent that remark may prove to be. I myself can’t wait to see how it plays out and know where we aim to be as an agency.
