Do I need a specialist digital agency?

Jeremy Baldwin, 12 Nov 2009

Is the distinction between the digital and traditional agency still relevant? The fact that some pure-plays are actively trying to ditch the digital badge might suggest not. Others argue that the need for the specialist digital agency is greater than ever. Some are calling for a completely new kind of agency for the ‘digital’ era.

Perhaps this has more to do with agency-land’s obsession with boxes and place in the hierarchy than an appreciation of a changing market - the danger being that digital agencies will just start to call themselves something different and assume that it's business as usual. 

Bottom line is that consumers have changed, clients' businesses have changed, but agencies are dragging their heels.  It is not a question of whether there is a place for the specialist in this new landscape, it is just a question of how the client wants to buy it. This should have more to do with the demands of the client’s business than on an outdated agency business model.

The industry has certainly reached a cross roads and this debate is set to shape the agenda over the coming months.

Lets start with the ‘dump digital’ brigade. Why might the digital moniker be old hat?

Digital Suicide

Digital now finds itself at the heart of not only marketing but business strategy.  Digital agencies aren’t knocking on the traditional’s door, they have let themselves in and got their feet up on the sofa. They are playing their game on their turf, and in many cases playing it much better. In a strange way the closer digital gets to the top table the less meaning it has as a separate strand of strategy.

Blurring the edges

We used to know where we stood. A website, a banner ad, and email was online. Press, radio, outdoor and DM was offline. And TV was the preserve of the big boys.  The lines are now completely blurred.  When does branded content on YouTube become a TV ad? When is a podcast radio? Where does search fit? And just where on the line do you put augmented reality? And frankly who cares?  Clients no longer need a DM campaign or a digital campaign, but a single idea that can be delivered in any or all media.  This can be delivered just as well by a small boutique team or large agency, one that started in digital or has been around for 40 years.

We don’t consume digital...

We watch, read, learn, interact and play with stuff. With digital so firmly stitched into the fabric of our day to day lives, we no longer notice or care about the how or where we consume it. The container has become irrelevant, what matters is how good the content is, how useful we find it and how much we like it. For advertisers this means that the same content is just as likely to be seen on the web as on the TV, on the e-book as the magazine, on twitter as at the point of sale. In an increasingly connected world, digital cannot stand in isolation.

So why would you still want to use a specialist digital agency?

Digital consumption IS different

Whilst content exists in multiple channels, consumption of digital is different. We skim and scan, we want snippets and we want them now. We interact with the content, and increasingly get involved in creating, editing and distributing it. Attention has moved beyond adapting offline content for the web to how digital is influencing and changing the ‘real’ world, from the basics of language usage to how we watch TV. Designing experiences to meet this behaviour requires a deeper and specialist understanding that tends to be those found in people attracted to the agility and dexterity of digital agencies. Moreover, the really valuable skill is an inbuilt appreciation of the speed of change and being able to integrate new thinking and technologies into the communications mix. This depth of understanding is only found in the digital specialist.  

Making digital content requires different skills

Like it or not, technology and the possibilities it presents are still at the heart of digital, which means specialist skills are needed. It just does. The complexity of digital also means that any one project can typically involve interface, interaction and motion designers together with information architects, content strategists and usability experts. Many agencies have tried to simply buy in and bolt on this expertise, but the reality is it's a hard combination to find outside of the digital agency. The big question being can you risk entrusting your digital output to anything but a specialist?

Clients' needs are different

Those that have truly put digital at the core of their business have digital expertise in house. It would be too risky and too expensive to do otherwise. They need small teams of dedicated specialists they can trust  to fill resource gaps and take on ad hoc or innovation projects. They don’t want or need all the structure and extra resource that comes from a full service or integrated approach.

Others rely on their digital agencies to know what’s what, to help them integrate digital into the mix and thus take on a more strategic and structured role. They need the security and scale of the more traditional agency, but need the specialist skills to ensure they are getting the best, and not necessarily the most comfortable advice.

What is clear from all of this is that the need for specialist digital expertise is irrefutable. The question is more about how to buy and integrate digital talent into the agency mix. Is it best to go to an agency that solely focuses on providing these skills or one that has brought them in to a wider offer? It's an old analogy but a fitting one; do you need a supermarket or a deli? One is convenient, the quality guaranteed and you’ll get everything you need in one place. With the other you’ll get a deeper level of knowledge and output that is just a little bit more special. The reality is that there simply is not a one size fits all approach, which is why there is a role for both the integrated and digital pure-play for some time to come.

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