Recently read an article written by an ad guy in Johannesburg about agencies that I believe rings as true here as it does there.

The article, The Skills Agencies Will Need Tomorrow, talks about the impact that the changing world of advertising and marketing has had on the agency universe.

And the author discusses the foundational skills agencies need to possess to remain a step or two ahead of the competition and their marketing clients.

Reminds me of a piece we did back about 10-15 years ago titled, “The 8 Animal Traits You Need to Stay Meaningful and Relevant into the Future“.  We touched on a lot of the same issues – but not quite as magnified as they are today.

Both point to wholesale changes in the way agencies need to operate.

In the article noted at the outset of this post, the author cites some obvious, not so obvious, and really interesting things agencies need to keep top of mind.

Magic in the Mundane

The author points to the opportunities that present themselves for agencies to bring enthusiasm and passion for those things that aren’t flashy and don’t do a good job of owning a personality and a positioning in the market.  The author states:

“Agencies that can make the mundane exciting will unlock new avenues for growth and differentiation. Focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses will be crucial for both brands and individuals. Cultivating and leveraging strong points will lead to exceptional performance and differentiation in the market.”

So if you’re a product category that might be categorized as “mundane” and you’re looking for a boost, only looking at agencies that are weighted down with a lot of mundane work and clients might not prove the best way to go.  Finding agencies with a breadth of experience and lots of energy and enthusiasm can be a better way to go.

Information Curation

Probably don’t need to give you much more than the title of this paragraph. Marketers are overwhelmed with the amount of data, content, technologies.  With the complexity presents an opportunity for the agency that can ferret through the piles of information and deliver only that which really matters to a client.

The author sums it up nicely as it relates to AI specifically:

“AI will revolutionize the industry by enhancing human creativity rather than replacing it. Agencies that can effectively leverage AI to augment creative processes, streamline workflows and provide deeper data analysis will free human talent to focus on more strategic and creative endeavours.”

So next time you’re looking for a new firm to support your marketing efforts, ask for examples of how they’ve muscled through the sea of technology changes and helped their clients in a very specific, forward-looking, and positive way.

Storytelling for Small-Scale Impact

This one is an interesting one.  Never really thought about the fact that “Empathy fatigue is diminishing the effectiveness of cause marketing that talks about change in numbers.”

And the idea that “Small is the new big” highlights the growing importance of making a difference on a smaller, more intimate scale, where micro-influencers and localized campaigns can often generate a more significant impact than broad, sweeping initiatives, allowing for more personalized and meaningful engagements with audiences.”

Agencies that can think about challenges in new and different ways and not just resort to (as it relates to this, here), the same old formulaic equation to build a relationship with a consumer.  Simply promoting altruism is and will continue to be far less effective than intimate conversations with consumers.

So if building your brand’s reputation and purpose is a goal of yours, think about what agencies are telling you.  Is it the same old formula of cause marketing or does it bring new and different thinking to the table – thinking about it in more micro terms in an attempt to really affect the consumer’s perception of your brand.

So if you’re looking for a new agency, go into it with an open mind, recognize that the world is changing and doing more of the same simply isn’t going to win the day for you or your agency partner.

Interested in getting some help next time you’re looking for a new/better firm?  If so, drop me a line…happy to help (mark@rswus.com).