Agencies Must Consider Restructure For Digital Age

Stuart Taylor, commercial director at Guardian News and Media, said that agencies are “too structured separately”. He conceded that the issue was complicated and that some agencies are getting there, and pointed out that his company would like to have a “joined up conversation” with agencies.

The “silo mentality”, which was largely referenced at the recent ‘Future of Media Research’ seminar in May (see Media Research Industry Must Take A More Holistic Approach To Measurement), cropped up again yesterday.

Ian Clark, general manager at thelondonpaper, said that he has experienced instances where there “just isn’t the interaction” in respect of agency briefs between the mediums of press and digital.

“That is going to drive a change and re-evaluation of the way that media is structured, whether that takes us back a bit more towards a full service structure, I’m not sure,” he said. “I do know at the moment there are an awful lot of people who are talking the talk but there are very few that are really doing it unfortunately.”

Clark added that the increase in consumer interaction with media would “make it easier for some of the disciplines, both on the press side and on the digital side and the agencies, to come together and change the way things are currently happening.”

Jo Blake, head of press at BLM, added that she felt the issue of whether buying space in print and online separately or combined should be addressed by agencies.

Alan Brydon, MPG, said from the floor: “I don’t disagree that agencies have got improvements to make but… agencies have to worry about the whole spectrum and for press, read magazines as well.”

He added: “I’m sure for online there’s a lot more to think about than just newspaper brands. I just think you have to balance that integrated approach with a huge risk of jack of all trades, master of none.

“Agencies will still feel the need to have an absolute expertise in each discipline. It’s a question of an agency not being silo-ed but… if we want the media to be used effectively and properly, I think you have to be careful of getting one person to do everything.”

Creatives were also in the spotlight at yesterday’s session, with media journalist, Ray Snoddy, expressing the view that creative for newspapers had to change, saying the format is not being fully utilised at the moment.

“Agencies must improve creativity of ads,” he urged.

Taylor indicated that more clients were running full-page newspaper ads. “The big ad could be back – and colour will help that,” he said.

Clark felt that colour was changing creativity in agencies. 100% colour has got creative juices flowing, he said, and “we can look forward to more exciting creativity in the near future.”

Taylor added: “If you get the creative right the results will come. And I don’t believe clients or agencies are investing enough to make sure their campaigns are really seen.

“It’s easy to produce a very poor ad and blame the medium.”

Simon Marquis, chairman of the NRS, urged creatives to focus more on emotionally engaging ads, which he said were more effective than rationally based ads.

“[Advertisers] should use newspapers in the way that traditionally agencies always felt that [emotional engagement] was the key strength of television,” he said.

“Newspapers have an amazingly close relationship with their users – they are an incredibly powerful brand. Some of the national newspapers are the most powerful media brands that we have across any sector,” he added.