• by August 26, 2004

There's an integrated marketing services agency in Austin, Texas called T3 - The Think Tank.

A couple of weeks ago I received a small box in the mail with a silver-lidded box, CD, and strange fabric hose, also silver. The media kit heralded the debut of Fuse, T3's new research and development team. Okay, so why does an agency need a R&D unit?

T3 says Fuse will focus on "researching and developing advanced advertising methods, technologies, and ideas." The agency wants you to think of Fuse as "a small reactor for big ideas."

Unless you're a legendary independent creative agency like Wieden + Kennedy, for one, an independent like T3 is often overlooked by the national business and trade press. But think again. The agency has had ongoing relationships with a diverse client roster. Its clients include Marriott International, JCPenney, Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, Nortel Networks, MTV, and Dell Inc. T3 is one of the fastest growing independently-owned agencies; it racked up more than $115 million in capitalized billings. It's also the largest privately held agency wholly owned by a woman--Gay Warren Gaddis, president and CEO.

T3 says Fuse, headed by Kirk Drummond, vice president, creative and innovation, will research and conceptualize methods to solve business problems. What does this mean, and how is it different than any other consulting business? Agencies these days appear to be repositioning themselves as "integrated solutions providers" that specialize in "360-degree marketing," whatever that is. Media agencies, in particular, are racing to provide clients with more robust communications planning resources.

T3's Fuse looks like an effort to offer clients a guidepost by which to evaluate new technologies, media platforms, and their integration. These platforms include online advertising, in-stream video, Internet-video integration, data-driven e-mail marketing, games, cross media integration, direct marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing.

"Clients are asking us, and asking our industry, for a completely different set of solutions than five years ago. They are looking for an agency that is quick to embrace new media and technologies that can be significantly more effective," said Gaddis in a statement.

Industry types might keep an eye on T3's Fuse to see if it lights up, or shorts out.