The Tried & True and Dazzling New

Just read an Ad Age article where the author, Jeff Swystun, argues that the reputation of being cool, cutting-edge and creative that digital agencies enjoy is all marketing and not actually the case. What’s worse, he’s right…

For the article, Jeff spoke to six digital agencies from all over. He breaks his analysis into three sets of quotes from agency employees, clients and even agency heads. Here’s an excerpt.

Agency employees said…

We lecture clients about technology when our time and expense sheets are manual.

Fun perks promised are always sacrificed because of proposals or client work. I understand business is business, but don’t promise it if you only hand it out when convenient.

Having a pool table in the office is the equivalent of a mission statement engraved on a plaque hung in the lobby — it’s all for appearance.

Agency clients said…

We used to hire experts as a ‘safe pair of hands’. With our digital agency it is an ongoing experiment. That’s not a bad thing, but its not a good thing either.

Our agency loves to sell us on next new thing. We constantly steer them back to how we make money and who are customers are.

These guys have a language problem. They only speak theirs.

Agency heads said…

I feel like I am operating a theme park. It is a daily spectacle, but everyone forgets that someone has to empty the trash bins and clean up the vomit. All that clients and employees want is the glam.”

I had a nightmare that upon my passing the eulogist talked of the apps we built.

We are always one day away from being a commodity. That should be a motivator, but all we are doing is milking yesterday’s cash cow.

The fundamental problem, as I see it from my vantage point as the President of a digital agency, is this: most digital agencies are still employing the traditional agency business model — and that model influences organizational structure and even culture.

To change the business, we must change our model. To change your model, we must (drum roll please) practice what we preach. Let’s USE the dazzling stuff in our own marketing so we become our own best case study.

“Don’t order the foosball table,” Jeff Swystun explains. “Invest all you can in training and thought leadership.” These activities attract and retain both talent and clients. If our digital agency brethren want to be architects of the future, they need to strike a balance between the tried & true and the dazzlingly new.