Two Cents: A Modern Day Renaissance

Technology has done amazing things. You can buy anything from anyone at any time, your mobile phone can make a cup of tea and we have more screens at our desks than the spaceship thingy from the matrix. There is no doubt that technology has fundamentally changed our lives as both people and more importantly as employees.

For this advertising world that we live in, this change in consumers has meant that we are seeing something very interesting going on. More now than ever before are we seeing brands of all shapes and sizes, having to adapt and reinvent themselves to stay ahead. Simply look at the success of Domino’s of late where the addition of technology has actually grown the category and completely transformed their business model.

The great thing is that we, the agencies, are reaping the benefits. Agencies are rushing to bolster their capabilities, strap on diversified services and hire chiefs of every kind of specialism. All of a sudden “full service” takes on a whole new meaning.

With all this stuff going on, clients are coming to agencies with new challenges and opportunities and are opening up their minds to what a traditional agency can deliver. Am I the only one that has noticed that the best work we are producing as an industry, is not communications work at all? We are now working with clients to change revenue models, find opportunities in technology, new audiences and new product lines. Never before have we been so close to our clients and so qualified to call them business partners.

The fact of the matter is that our industry is going through a modern day renaissance. We are tearing up the templates and stepping out of our job descriptions. If you ask me, it’s awesome!

We have become so much more than comms planners, buyers, strategists, analysts, and search-azoids, we have become creative problem solvers.

Being the experts on technology and innovation has given us a foot in the door with our clients and permission to apply our knowledge to other aspects of their business. No longer are we pigeon holing ourselves into just thinking about ad space or channels.

The big question is. Has our vision caught up with our capabilities? Many agencies don’t realise what they’re capable of. We need to start implementing the necessary infrastructure and framework, in order to open to communications curtain and reveal a world of complete business solutions.