• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 22, 2015

The Adland “Agency of Record” model, which has been around for decades, is losing relevance at an accelerated pace in today’s world, says Bill Koenigsberg, 4As chairman and founder and CEO of Horizon Media.  

Technology and a cacophony of new media channels have provided consumers with greater access to information and more sophisticated methods to shop for and procure goods and services. And marketers are adapting technology and media along with enhanced creative techniques to break through the clutter and reach their target consumers with messages that hopefully engage and motivate them to buy.

But it’s a struggle, says Koenigsberg, and no one agency can do it alone. “It takes a village,” he adds, to “make the magic happen. And it requires collaboration and multiple partners to drive [clients’] business forward.”

That’s why he’s sees the AOR model transforming to an AOC model — Agency of Collaboration. Those market dynamics, he explains, is what led the 4As to embrace the theme “Creativity + Collaboration” for its Transformation 2015 Conference that kicks off today (March 22) in Austin.

Collaboration within the industry, Koenigsberg said, is “more important than ever and it’s happening more and more. You will see and hear a lot of examples of how it’s happening at the conference.” On Monday evening a ceremony for the first ever Partner Awards will be put on at the conference. The awards are designed to recognize the best achievements in advertising collaboration.

As to key takeaways from the conference, Koenigsberg hopes attendees leave with a fresh perspective on collaboration and the possibilities it opens up for clients and agencies alike.

“The opportunities are greater than ever before,” he says, urging people to think about them daily with a kind of “white canvas,” approach that just might lead to a better way of helping clients achieve their goals.

This year’s conference begins the day after the conclusion of SXSW in the same city which wasn’t by design, according to Koenigsberg, who notes that the conferences are scheduled years in advance. There was some concern that the scheduling this year might impact attendance, particularly among agency executives who went to SXSW but didn’t want to be away from the office for an extended period of time to attend both shows.

But so far registration for the Transformation Conference hasn’t been affected. Koenigsberg reports that it’s been “pacing ahead of last year.” Pre-show registration is expected to be around 750 with “a bunch more walk-ins” anticipated during the conference, he said.