They say the camel is a horse designed by committee, so let’s apply that notion to digital advertising and the 4A’s (whatever that stands for) digital board which was, uh, just created. A little late, no? This should be fun.
First thing, a bunch of high profile agencies are represented despite the face that two of them are truly “digital” but whatever. The “leaders” are Bob Greenberg, R/GA’s CEO and chairman of the six-person body; David Sable, CCO of Wunderman; and Ogilvy North America CEO Carla Hendra; Razorfish CEO, Clark Kokich; Laura Lang, Digitas CEO; Organic chairman Jonathan Nelson.
So let’s forget that Ogilvy and Digitas outsource their work to digital shops. But it could be worse, like say if BBDO was listed. We know one addie whose blood would boil at that notion. But, what’s the goal of this group, (also) forgetting that it represents both digital and traditional and maybe the name isn’t so accurate.
Adweek’s Brian Morrissey writes, “Like the industry overall, the 4A’s is attempting to solve a dilemma. As more communication and media becomes digital, the line blurs between traditional and digital agencies. At the same time, digital shops are still different, for the most part, from their traditional brethren.”
Hell yeah they are. Have you been to R/GA. I mean, their walls are white, and JWT well they’ve got pink and green and sh*t all over the place. Yeah, totally different.
Morrissey goes on, “One task for the new board is to help the 4A’s develop educational programs and advise on public policy positions, such as new regulations on collecting consumer data online. The 4A’s also said it would give ‘expert perspectives on how traditional agencies can better transition to new agency models.'”
OK fair enough. Regulation is an important aspect of the business and so is hand-holding some of the older agencies as they try to hang on while the digital kids run circles around them. Circles and circles, I mean, there’s smoke coming from the ground y’all.
But one thing still irks you, we’re sure, is that the shops involved are all pretty darn big. Aren’t the smaller shops the ones having all the problems? Last we checked, R/GA was doing just fine, a’ight. So can they really understand your problems? Sure R/GA is big, but they were once a production house for movies and such. And Ogilvy? Right, moving along.
What do you think of this list? Will you be faithful to the man’s laws? Can 6 people really determine the guidelines for the teenaged digital realm? You know, so tell us.
Full Story