Calls For Agencies To Unite Creative And Media Divisions

Advertising agency BBH has recently announced plans to “put media strategy back in the creative agency” resulting in other agencies implementing resources to bring media thinking back into the advertising process.

Raising the issue at last night’s fifth MediaTel Media Question time, Paul Longhurst, ex managing director of The Allmond Partnership, asked the panel for their views on this changing face of agencies.

Phil Georgiadis, chief executive of Walker Media, asserted his belief that the issue was “not about media planning” but about redefining in terms of “account planning, changing it to make it more relevant to the development of a creative brief.”

He said: “It’s not a threat to media agencies and the sooner we all talk together with a common currency that we are used to the better.”

Fru Hazlitt, chief executive of Virgin Radio agreed completely with Georgiadis’ point of view, while Richard Eyre, chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau agreed with BBH’s strategy saying: “It would make more sense if the creative and media was done under the same roof, with everyone working towards the same strategy.”

However, despite the panel’s positive attitude towards a creative and media merger, several pitfalls were identified, mainly surrounding the costs of implementing this change in agencies.

“Most advertisers are not in the business of paying more” Georgiadis explained, “I hope we don’t get into a turf war and that some advertisers are prepared to pay more to get better output.”

Longhurst agreed with this statement, adding: “Clients don’t want to pay twice for what seems to be the same thing.”