Ad agency x digital: how to get it right?

Ad agencies x digital How to get it right?Credits: isynoho

It’s your chance Every single ad agency is claiming to be integrated today but when you look at the product delivered we all see room for improvement. Clients are looking for the team that will master integrated communications. This is not only an idea expressed from TV to online, but it is an immersive and interactive experience of your brand story that lives throughout the purchase process. A flow that is thought through to generate sales all the way through. Here is an attempt at identifying the pitfalls I’ve seen in the last years, working as a Digital Strategy Director with multiple traditional agencies. Good news is: there is room for your agency to master this, so take the lead!Credits: AlbinoFlea

Don’t be shy! There is no reason for you to be shy and to feel that you cannot take it. In fact, if you keep in mind that digital behaviors are very similar to offline behaviors then you will get it. You can also take an intensive training class at HyperIsland to give you the confidence you need to claim yourself a digital person. But be aware that all your competitors are taking this training too. So I believe the best is to do it and to learn from doing it.Credits: lucyandorla

Don’t let the cobbler’s... ...children go barefoot! Define the digital vision for your agency and live by it. Be coherent with what you are preaching and make sure your website works on your client’s Blackberry and other iPads.Credits: IamThePapa

A culture of learning The fantastic thing about digital is that it never stops changing, there is always something new. And you will never know everything. It requires you to be curious, to be out there and to constantly seek out for the latest. Surround yourself with great content curators, find them on Twitter and read what’s posted, daily. Implement a culture of learning and sharing within the agency as well as with your clients. Invite studios, companies to present you their product. Support small start up by giving them office spaces. Book a monthly team lunch, get pizzas over and learn together.Credits: Jérémy Huylebroeck

Digital P&L Too often, ad agencies fail to implement a digital division because they are not familiar with the economics of digital. Start by defining how does your agency make money out of the digital product. Then, you must train your account teams to understand how to evaluate and sale digital products. Too often, a digital budget is a random %, when digital requires a detailed assessment of the existing assets client side to provide accurate work estimates. Digital also requires room for iterations, improvement and maintenance, areas that were not traditionally part of budgets in traditional agencies. You must define how you want to manage these to ensure profitability.Credits: epSos.de

Build your digital team Recruit senior talents from the pure player world. A digital strategy director, a UX expert and a creative-technologist who is a real geek at heart are a must. I also believe an analyst is a key function to help you quickly measure and prove the results of your digital actions. It will help you build a strong portfolio, win awards and build your credibility. What about the AD, CD and copywriter? The talents you already have in-house are probably very relevant in the digital sphere but they have yet to express their talent fully. Mandate your Digital Director to support them through the learning curve but there is probably no need to hire new players.Credits: Mannuli

Play! Get your talents to use iPad, iPhones, Blackberries, Kindles... They must download apps, experience devices and have fun understanding the potential of each devices. Invite them to talk and share about the cool things they find out. Let your team work with GoogleDocs, manage your projects with Basecamp... implement a digital culture in the agency. Lotus Note is not ideal in that sense.Credits: yto

Post-it (loads) The best brainstorms I’ve ever seen happened with a UX expert, a tech lead, an AD at the table. Give them loads of post-it and a giant chalk board so they can conceive as much as they need to. A digital product is not set in stone, it’s not made of a single image or story. In fact, there are millions of variation it can take and if you give yourself tools like post-its to conceive you allow the team for a much better exploration. It gives you access to a collaborative and fluid ideation process.Credits: Pedrovisc

Digital is a mix of things How to link the powerful word of broadcasting to the incredibly efficient developments of digital? - Hegarty on advertising The emerging trend is to conceive a story that is truly transmedia. You can see those in the video game or movie industry, where they launch a story that lives in multiple environment. Digital in not one discipline, it’s important to be ready to think digital at many different touch points, flows, and devices in the peoples’ journey. When relevant, brief your team with multiple digital briefs.Credits: Phil Hutton

Partners in crime In order to build your portfolio and credibility fast, you must identify clients that will be your partners in crime. Those marketing folks must be ready to try out, to learn and to prove the benefits of a strong digital integration. They must have started the conversation in-house, and if possible, be mandated for managing digital communications. Set goals. Measure. Prove results. Grow TOGETHER.Credits: Surtsey-Derquenne

That media guy Understand how digital is managed and financed by the brand today. Be friend with all the media agencies and understand their views on digital. You should also find out how they make money out of digital themselves. Make sure to align your visions behind the same brand communications objectives and KPIs. Have a drink with the media guy. Be creative together, save budget to try out new stuff. Challenge each other. Digital investments should be looked on the long-term, results take time to happen. Hence the necessity for shifting and evolving old concepts like reach and frequency. Push the limit.Credits: M Moser Associates

Wakey! Wakey! It’s 2012. It’s here. Your communication product must reflect your agency understanding of today’s world and consumer interactions with brands. And soon, be ready to stop using the term digital... because really this is just our industry lingo. People don’t see it that way... at all.Credits: jujustars

Thank you.Crafted by Isabelle Quevilly. @DigitalPlannerLondon. February 2012.

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Ad agency x digital: how to get it right?

by Isabelle Quevilly on Jan 30, 2012

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Ad agency x digital: how to get it right? — Presentation Transcript