When queuing up this entry, I noticed that there’s no category for "agency" related posts. That’s OK because Mary Beth Kemp, my colleague and co-author of The Connected Agency report, has taken the lead on a new Forrester blog called Agency Futures. So I’m cross-posting this, there.
A lot needs to happen before agencies get Connected. The clear first step for most shops is building digital acumen. So I’ve published a new piece called "Agencies Must Build Digital Skills To Survive" – pretty much to the point, eh?
Here’s a [long] excerpt:
Traditional advertising agencies — marketing services providers that
have built global brands through mass media — need to prove their
digital mettle now more than ever. Although late 90s startups like
Scient, Viant, and ZEFER flamed out, firms like Critical Mass, Organic,
and Avenue A|Razorfish have risen high above the dot-bomb wreckage and
are well-positioned for success today.
Clients are shifting business to digital shops, and consumers have
turned away from media channels that built the agency industry and
toward emerging Internet media. Ad agencies must build new interactive
competencies quickly in order to succeed. How? They must build digital
skills with a three-tiered approach of establishing digital commitment
at the executive level, retraining existing staffers, and building a
pipeline of future talent.
So what’s the secret to success? Hire a chief digital officer? Tell all your staffers to get on Facebook? Go 2.0 with your web site?
Maybe all that and more…
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