“If I were an agency, I would be really worried about being disintermediated,” said Becky Saeger, CMO of Charles Schwab. For those of you are confused by her word choice, disintermediation means to be removed from the supply chain. Yes, the lady went there. Becky, along with some other top level CMOs, made it clear that your methods annoy them at a talk during the ANA conference.
The big wigs spent time discussing the idea of bypassing agencies to go straight to media shops. “What’s lacking in agency relationships now is speed to market,” Mr. Elliott [VP of Marketing of HP] said. “I don’t think with our current system we’re achieving that. … We’re going to pilot a number of different relationships where we go direct with media companies.”
So, you know… you think they would at least give a shout out to the digital side of the business right? Not so much. The CMOs slammed online ad networks, which kind of deserve it, for placing ads on inappropriate sites. Okay, but like… Note to brands? Quit being lazy and hire some in-house folks to handle your online media buys. It’ll probably be cheaper in the long run anyways.
Brands are always complaining about the agency model, but here’s the thing – THEY ARE TOTALLY COMPLICIT in this dysfunctional system. How often has your agency pitched a campaign that address a brand’s current competitive landscape or gave them an idea that was truly bold to have them waiver over it for so fricking long that nothing happens? The idea dies a slow painful death over a conference call come too late. Or how about presenting a brand with a media plan and they’re like, “No. We don’t know anything about online. You do it.” And when you do, they’re pissed they’re on Perez Hilton.
I would never hit a CMO, but sometimes don’t you just want to shake the shit out of ’em? Responsibility CMOs. Try it out. It could make all the difference in your agency relationship, output and brand profitability.