• by Lisa Seward , February 22, 2008

One of the key reasons I became a consultant was to help agencies figure out how to reinvent themselves in order to meet the need for modern, media-influenced communications solutions. More and more shops were questioning how to build for the future, usually by some means of getting media and strategy and/or creative to work together more closely, and in my 20 years on the agency side one of my favorite parts of the job was breaking down the walls between those disciplines.

When I first hear from a prospective client, the conversation usually falls into one of two categories: 1) "We've decided we're going to set up connection planning (or hire a director of media innovations, or merge media and account planning, etc.) and would love your help in guiding us through the process." Or it's 2) "HELP!!!"

Either way, we start by looking at the facts to determine what the problems and opportunities are; then we build a custom solution that takes into consideration their current capabilities, talent and client base, as well as their ambitions. I have to say it's some of the most invigorating work I've done.

That said, it's also some of the most challenging. Why? Because the more I do it, the more I feel the incredible leaden weight that is inertia. Specifically, I'm talking about the inertia that maintains the age-old separation of media and creative personnel. Even now, when agencies know these two disciplines need to collaborate, they almost universally feel great discomfort actually taking the leap and putting media and creative people in rooms together to roll up their sleeves and co-create.

Why has it become much more palatable for agencies to cross the strategy-media divide? I have a few theories:

>> The Practical View: The "media-izing" of account planning and strategy has been done for a while, so there are examples to emulate and a decent degree of assurance that merging media and strategy can pay off.

>> The Optimistic View: Intelligent people recognize that communications strategy today needs to be infused with consumer insights about media as well as brands, so the marriage feels natural and needed.

>> The Cynical View: Clients are willing to pay for communications strategy, so agencies want to offer it.

>> The Only-Lisa-Could-Be-This-Cynical View: If agencies concentrate on marrying media to strategy, they won't have to deal with marrying it to creative.

I wish I were kidding. But time and again I find myself having to be quite assertive on this point with my clients, doing things like "modeling" the behavior they should expect of their media people or partners in order to demonstrate what healthy, respectful dialogue between media and creative types looks like.

Integrating media into strategy is only half the battle, because here's the truth: Consumers never see your shiny, glorious brief or your precious communications plan. They don't care that your strategy is informed by incredibly original, inspirational insights. They only experience the communication ultimately produced, and if that experience doesn't manifest your insights (no matter how brilliant they are on paper), it will fall flat.

Obviously, major media shops can be wildly successful today without resolving their inherent distaste for creative collaboration, so they're not exactly motivated to do so. They also may be getting around the issue, in some cases, by installing their own creative talent who logically will be more, shall we say, obedient partners. But what's the opportunity cost? What brilliant ideas aren't being imagined due to foot-dragging when it comes to genuinely partnering with outside creative agencies? Similarly, if you're a creative who feels threatened by opinionated, informed media people who may tell you your ideas are all wrong: get over it! Learn to listen, because the insights and ideas media people can bring today could be the difference between yesterday's ad and today's brilliant brand experience.

Lisa Seward is the founder of Mod Communications, a strategic media consultancy. (lisa.seward@modideas.com)