Ferrier: agencies are too closed minded
One of Australia’s leading marketing minds says marketing agencies are too closed minded when it comes to innovation.
Naked Communications founding partner Adam Ferrier told the Mumbrella360 Conference “all communication is now interactive”, and that agencies should take advantage of this.
“The whole tech integration into marketing is happening a lot slower than I expected it to,” he said.
Speaking to Mumbrella, after the event, Ferrier said most ad companies operate using a “closed” business model and not sufficiently open to innovation.
“There are two types of ad agencies: open and closed. It really feels like there’s a one-stop-shop in terms of closed model agencies,” said Ferrier.
“There’s an inherent natural bias towards an economically sound model.”
The Naked Communications founder said he believes technology companies are on the forefront of new and emerging ideas, and that ad agencies aren’t taking using them enough.
“It’s just easier for them to recommend the known ideas that generate money.”
Ferrier moderated the Mumbrella360 session in which seven technology companies each pitched a Rexona deodorant campaign to consumer group Unilever.
Ideas ranged from iPhone app games, to directed audio technology advising hearers to take the stairs over the escalator.
Tech company Spinifex won the pitch through a ‘Clap-o-meter’ app on Ferrier iPhone which helped judge successfully chose the winning pitch.
Spinifex pitched a “directional pinpoint’ which directs audio in a physical direction.
The session was judged by Unilever Michelle Katz who said: “who am I to contradict the Clap-o-meter”.
Sam Buckingham-Jones
COMPLETELY AGREE
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Chicken and egg. A lot of clients are cautious and agencies care about just doing enough to retain the account versus losing it over risking the tabling of often sound ideas that would guarantee better results.
No question though in a lot of instances agencies do need to grow a set, be forthcoming about initiatives that guarantee results, take them to the client and back them.
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agencies are led by clients generally … they are more often than not paid to ‘do’ not paid to think or innovate.
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This whole debate already feels old to me.
I heard the same thing 15 years ago come out of Heather Albrecht’s mouth at a speech.
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The future of tech has arrived and its a clap-o-meter.
Well done Spinifex for having an idea and not just pushing a platform.
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