In The Independent, Claire Beale
wrote about how ad agencies are adding more income streams to compensate for
the reduced revenue from their traditional activities in this time of economic
hardship:
“Take Mother, unveiled last week as Campaign's Ad Agency of the Year. Mother produced a movie, wrote a play, published a comic and made some great standout advertising.
Or Beattie McGuinness Bungay, an
agency that has also stretched the definitions of creativity into iPhone
applications, airplane liveries, book publishing, all without compromising its
ability to deliver some fantastic advertising for clients like Carling, Wall's,
Ikea.
How about Bartle Bogle Hegarty:
proud owner of a ready meal range you can buy in Tesco, a rape alarm brand
stocked by Marks & Spencer, and also creator of some of the best
advertising in the world.”
She says, “These are advertising's
visionaries and they're poised to use the economic crisis to drive through a
radical overhaul that will redefine the industry and establish a new financial
model for adland.”
Specifically, these changes might
include “new payment structures that allow them to share in the risks and
rewards of brave advertising. And the best agencies will explore ways to retain
intellectual property rights for their work, or launch their own brands in
partnership with clients, or create content that people will pay to see.”
We can learn from them: “For
recession, they read opportunity: the chance for all of us – personally,
commercially, socially, politically – to change. And for creative thinking to
lead that (positive) change.”
Few of us will be immune
to the pressures ad agencies are facing. What kind of changes can you think of
in your life that could mimic the adaptability of the innovative agencies?
(for a monthly does of great tips for being more creative and productive, sign up for my free Brainstorm e-bulletin. Just send an email request now to [email protected])
