• by Richard Gagnon , Wendy Lurrie , March 6, 2008

As all the major media companies and agencies congregate in Florida for the AAAA Annual Media Conference, it's a given that the topic of bundled vs. unbundled media structures will be kicked around again. It's even more likely to happen at this year's conference, given the theme "Digital Changes Everything."

An industry conundrum since agencies first unbundled their media offerings, both sides are likely to surface at the conference. While we work at a bundled agency, we have no vested interest in inspiring other agencies to re-integrate media. But we do have a perspective.

We think most would agree that media was not managed in the 1990s with the level of energy it deserved, and now most certainly commands. Unbundling media was justified as it enabled fewer media specialists to amass the clout (and staff) to address media with a focused perspective that was lacking.

Yet the question of structure still looms, and does so in the context of what we call "A 48-Hour Day." In the 48-Hour Day, consumers are squeezing more media, information and entertainment into their lives. Everything is becoming more personal and at the same time, less predictable. Multitasking is the norm, yet the word does not fully capture the way individuals "snack on media," and how they create, process and proliferate messaging. Technology platforms are second nature to kids who see no difference between network television, their iPod and YouTube ... and who move effortlessly and simultaneously across platforms.

In the 48-Hour Day, TV is video in any shape and size. Conversations are more text than verbal. Mail is IM, and email is considered too slow for teens. Magazines are real-time Web sites. Wikipedia is the public library. Maps are GPS mash-ups. And blogs are authoritative journalism, demonstrating not only their increased influence but the lack of distinction between consumer-created and professionally created content.

In the 48-Hour Day, the "Medium is the Message" is a truism. So is the need for media and creative to evolve the industry away from the reliance on a 30-second TV unit.

At last year's Media Conference, some comments on rebundling included "the toothpaste is out of the tube," implying there is no going back to a full-service model. But clearly, there are signs: Agencies hire "channel" planners and re-integrate through digital media experts, as Ogilvy is doing with Neo. Moreover, many clients are asking and often demanding full-service solutions at the holding-company level because they see the power and efficiencies of bundled thinking.

Ultimately, the goal of any agency structure is to deliver better, bigger and more continuous ideas that drive business results. Having media in the agency doesn't automatically guarantee this will happen, and jamming it back in is potentially harmful. For a bundled model to work best, it must be a cultural and not an organizational way of working. While there is no rule book, we offer some best practices:

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Co-creation As consumers take ownership, everyone must be responsible for the creation of ideas--creative, strategy, media, account management, data, channel experts. Delivering creativity demands total team access to client issues and an intimate understanding--not filtered--of consumer needs and wants. If this doesn't happen, the end result is an agency of departments that happen to be under one name and one roof.

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Enabled Tension Positive tension is an absolute springboard. Holistic thinking doesn't mean departments holding hands and singing Partridge Family songs. It means establishing trust and confidence to challenge each other in a way that pushes ideas forward. Sometimes that leads to some loud and passionate meetings. But usually, it leads to very productive outcomes. Never assume that "playing nice in the sandbox" delivers the same level of inspiration.

*Simultaneous vs. Sequential This is not about weekly status meetings and check-ins. It means working together with common goals and rallying around a common purpose. It means co-creating briefs. It means anticipating new opportunities vs. reacting to problems that fell through the cracks. And it means a relentless focus on those priorities that really matter to build the most bonded customer experiences.

*Moments More Than Media Types One of the more simple, yet inspiring ways our creative, account planning and media teams work together is around the notion of "moments" vs. media types. Those moments when "participation" with the brand is likely to be greatest must be identified early in the process. From the vantage point of the moment, we see the bigger picture. It gets closer to the individual's behavior and helps redefine the conversation away from reach and frequencies. *Beyond "Creative + Media" The discussion around bundling has focused on the importance of creative and media, which is a one-dimensional view. Bundling has much greater potential. Account Planning + Media uncovers deeper consumer insights. Account Management + Media inspires bigger business opportunities. Data Intelligence + Media is the catalyst for greater accountability. At Draftfcb, all of these disciplines are part of an integrated "Wheel," where every bundled discipline strives to work better together.

On the Horizon

Clearly, the marketing industry is changing in ways few can predict. Equally clear is the need for new ways of thinking, new ways of approaching clients' business problems, and new ways of meeting communication needs. No one discipline can possibly have all the answers. If done right, the bundled model makes for a better, more powerful agency.

The paradox--actually the irony--of unbundling is that we find it to be common today at the agency level--at the very moment when media is more intertwined and inextricably linked to content and strategy. The part of the industry now most in flux and yet most central to effective marketing thinking has been stripped out of the agencies charged with creating marketing solutions. It makes no more sense to peel away media from the creation of solutions than it does to peel away creative, or strategy, or any of the other core disciplines.

Few, if any, can accurately predict the future. But we see bundled thinking as where the agency business is now headed.

--Richard Gagnon is chief media officer and Wendy Lurrie is chief strategy and marketing officer at Draftfcb.