Agencies as Content Producers

When most people think about the type of content advertising agencies produce, they think of Print, TV, Display, OOH and other mainstream media. For me, the longer agencies look at themselves as producers of this type of content, the shorter they will be around.

As I have posted before, consumers are now fully in control of the conversation. They are both the medium and the message. But, as a colleague recently asked me, what does this really mean? To me, it means that agencies need to step out of their comfort levels and begin finding ways to engage with consumers and have a meaningful dialogue. This will mean the creation of unique content that can be shared, discussed and used across multiple platforms.

Just like advertising agencies were forced to reorganize their operations to develop spots for television, it's time again for agencies to reorganize to be successful in the digital world. Smart phones, Web 2.0 features, social networking sites, and other new technologies have completely changed the way consumers consume media. Agencies must address these changes and retool to produce content that fits into the lives of this digital consumer.

Thoughts?

- Chris