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"We have 24 months before finding digital talent becomes really easy," DeCourcy explained during the American Association of Advertising Agencies' first-ever Digital Conference last week. "The talent battle is going to be over, because people coming into agencies will have grown up on the Internet."
DeCourcy--who shared the 4A's stage with some of the industry's top sages--described her mission as creating integrated, multi-platform programs, and in the spirit of experimentation, "making sure the [client's] brand is fairly unsafe."
David Blum, executive director, SFI Division, Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, challenged his peers to advocate for digital as the linchpin for brand campaigns.
"The net is not seen as a place where the core [brand] idea can live," said Blum. "We need to champion digital." Not long ago, Blum added, "They didn't think of [digital] as the idea, they thought of us as the deliverers of their idea."
But, for all the disrespect that digital creative and media people have had to stomach, their day in the sun is near, assured Tarik Sedky, chief digital officer, Y&R Advertising.
"They're sitting in the cat-bird seat right now," Sedky said.
The issue of accountability--an idea once considered foreign to most ad executives--was raised several times to distinguish the old order from the new.
"When I was working with Bud, no one ever said 'That ad's not working, let's switch it out; it's not getting the clicks,'" said Larry Harris, executive vice president and director of integrated marketing for Draftfcb.
Now, added Harris, the keys are "getting closer to the consumer," and "demonstrating ROI," which only digital can achieve.
Addressing the industry's future, DeCourcy continued to stress the four C's--content, communication, community and commerce--as the driving forces behind all agency initiatives.
What has changed, however, is the "hyper-collaboration" in which consumers are now participating. The new "x-factor," she said, is the liberation of consumers.
Bud.TV has been a failure, in DeCourcy's view, because its architects ignored the real value of video communities, which is the ability to engage in a collaborative view of the world.
Also of note, DeCourcy said she's actually "trying to stay away from YouTube and MySpace right now" to focus on other emerging online opportunities.
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Desipite their continued efforts to "bring these skills inhouse", it just can't happen. (see Lisa Seward's post from June 19th, "Free Agent: Getting Our Sexy Back" at http://blogs.mediapost.com/mdn_commentary/?p=983) where she claims:
"So why are these best-in-class candidates not being scooped up by the agencies? Because, my friends, these young people of whom I speak who really want to work in advertising, either aren’t even applying to agencies or decided in their first year or two in the business that they no longer want to be agency side. Their view of the marketplace, their experience, or both have given rise to doubts about the opportunities agencies can offer - especially the big, well-known shops which traditionally receive piles of resumes from young talent."
The truly talented individuals in the space want and demand autonomy, freedom and to be fairly compensated for their work.
These three things most agencies struggle to understand, and fail to adapt to offer these perks
Agencies who fail to remember the past will be condemned to repeat it. You see, I believe we've been here once before in 1999. (I've been Marketing on the Net since 1993!)
Back then, every agency was launching its own inhouse digital division, only to lose absurd amounts of money and eventually disband the effort due to mounting frustration with their inability to consistently attract quality talent.
I believe history is set to repeat itself.
The big agencies lack of willingness to accomodate top talent makes it easy for "anti-agency" shops like mine to flourish, employing very few full-time talent - opting instead for a healthy rolodex of freelancers and subcontracter specialists.
Instead, small specialized shops like mine have carved out an outsourced relationship with many agencies who recognize their roll in the client management and services area - and outsource the more technical and digital creative to shops like mine for a healthy symbiotic relationship.
There will be no "glut" of digital talent. Odds are 10-1 most will network their way to land some freelance and sub-contract gigs while earning a decent wage - once they get hooked on the convenience of working from home, the freedom of making their own hours and earning more than what they could at an agency - they will never look back.
Best way to deal? Make the most of working with shops like mine, or adapt to work with this transient type of freelance / sub-contract work-force community.
Allan Sabo Alti Success Strategies ::: Creating Value Through Social Media & Web 2.0 Techniques ::: www.AltiConsulting.com