Tim Parsons
linkedin.com/in/timparsons
twitter.com/timparsons
FutureAgency
What does it look like ?

FutureAgency:
Challenge: The
”End” of mass-media

One upon a time...

Brands agencies love...
...”consumers” know them.

Mass-media model:
Brand TV Consumer
ETC
Agency Media Mass-media Society +
Culture

Agency does research...
Brand Consumer
Research
Agency Mass-media Society +
Culture

Has insight ..
Brand Consumer
Agency Mass-media Society +
Culture

Executes via media...
Brand TV Consumer
ETC
Agency Media Mass-media Society +
Culture

Everybody measures...
Brand Consumer
Measurement
Agency Mass-media Society +
Culture

Brand pays agency ...
Brand Consumer
$$$
Agency Mass-media Society +
Culture

Everybody happy !
Brand Consumer
Agency Mass-media Society +
Culture

Hang on a
sec.

. . . then something happened

Over 1 billion
Internet users worldwide
(Source: Comscore.com 23 Jan 2009)

300 million
Chinese internet users
out of a total 1Bn worldwide.
(Source: Comscore.com 23 Jan 2009)

30 %
of handsets sold in developed
world today are smartphones
(Source: Bytemobile.com, Sept 2008)

Over 1 billion
iPhone apps downloaded
to iPhones + iPod Touches since July 2008
(source: The Register, 16th Jan 2009)

4.1 billion
Number of mobile phone subscribers worldwide
(Source: WashingtonPost.com MoCo News 2 Mar 2009)

People Today : Connected Society

People Today : Connected Society : Babies

People Today : Connected Society : Children

People Today : Connected Society : Teens

People Today : Connected Society : Adults

140 %
mobile penetration in ITALY
(Source: Total Telecom Jan 2009)

Online culture
is the culture

Online Culture is
about
People

Online Culture is
about
Behaviours

Online Culture is
about
Society

Cultures have the power to
change the world ...

Online Culture is The Culture
In 2006: “To win, we
need a Community
Outreach program.”

$656 million
Individual donations to Obama ’08 by Dec 2008.
(Source: OpenSecrets.org, Dec 31 2008)

This isn’t working now...
Brand TV Consumer
ETC
Agency Media

Consumer is in control.
Brand TV Consumer
ETC
Agency Media Connected
Society + Culture

FutureAgency:
The Solution ?

FutureAgency:
“Cultural Brokers,
Storytellers & Enablers.”

FutureAgency:
“Online Culture IS
the culture.”

FutureAgency:
“Online culture IS the
culture”.

Agency as cultural broker
Brand Consumer
Cultural
Insights
Research
Agency Connected
Society + Culture

Agency as storyteller
Natural
Brand Story Consumer
Worlds
Brands as Connected
part of Society Agency
Society + Culture

Stories...
...describe worlds

Stories...
...demand authenticity

Stories...
... are memorable

Stories...
... invite journeys

Stories...
... are easy to share

Online culture...
... is FULL of stories.

Opportunity
Major agencies are going through a massive
transition internally.

Opportunity
Digital / mobile agencies have to understand the
bigger picture of Online Culture.

FutureAgency
If digital agencies can move beyond technology
to become FutureAgencies - storytellers and
cultural brokers ...

...sky’s the limit!

Tim Parsons
linkedin.com/in/timparsons
twitter.com/timparsons
FutureAgency
What does it look like ?