The Agency Lab: Edge vs relevance

Comments

[oskar]

i'll think you have to be idea-driven (using the word in your ((good, by the way)) way) AND know your thing in each different channel in order to be really sucessful. The problem is if you let the the idea itself stand i in the centre instead of the one you're pithing it to. A lot of agencys still love the concept so much it's hurting the exection and alternation in different channels. Pardon my spelling.

[Petter Janbell]

I think that the answer to the million dollar question is: Yes. If you are big enough. In this case size really matters. The bigger agencies can offer a wide range of specialists that all together gives a we-can-do-everything-generalist offer thats trustworthy. Coming from a smaller agency the same offer turns into a we-know-a-little-about-everything offer where the will to be broad affects the deeper knowledge. When looking at the Swedish Adv industry during bad times this is shown very clearly. Bigger generalist agencies and smaller specialists goes better, and mid size generalist agencies takes the hit.

[Elia Morling]

I agree that all communication should be driven by the message, and not the channel. Also great point about media agencies. I think knowing everything about all channels is great, but beyond that we will find attitude. Even if a Generalist Agency knows everything about all channels, they will lean towards one or the other. I think it would be interesting to make a study in Generalist Agencies in Sweden to see which channels the creative teams favor. I speculate that the attitudes favor TV and Print, partially based on the rock star connotation of prizes. So in the end the Generalist Agency concept has to be questioned.

[Elia Morling]

Sorry I don't mean the "Generalist Agency concept" itself is to be questioned, but the actual existance of it. I doubt it exists beyond the imaginative realm!

[Leon]

Osk: you are right. Many idea/concept-driven agencies (including ourselves) are too much focussed on the abstract idea rather than execution finish.

Petter: a large agency with specialists - a.k.a departments is back to square one if you ask me, and I know that even the best large agencies have difficulty in driving edge. Profitability and size is partially correlated because of client size etc, but take a look at Brindfors, Ogilvy, Storåkers... Perhaps it's a matter of how well an agency is managed.

Elia: award-advertising is only a small part of an agency's total output, analog and digital. I think competence (or lack thereof) is really the key issue.

The ironic thing about the whole discussion about classic vs digital agency is that digital agencies are becoming more conceptual and idea-focussed (Greatworks are integrating a PR function). Even digital production companies are focussing more on idea and less on the actual programming/production. So, the gap may not be that big after all.