In the past few months I met with over 10 agencies with strong full service digital shops (creative, planning, buying).  Now these are all top firms.  They are winning, keeping, and delighting clients. This post is not a rant against agencies or their productivity. 

I was not surprised to hear – both from leadership and account level folks – that the agencies were stretched thin managing change: building media exchanges or access to exchanges; creating global data analysis and visualization platforms; driving operational efficiencies. Agencies know that they must artfully navigate the next few years to sustain their relevancy and value.

What DID surprise me was how no one at the account level could effectively describe what made their agency different, unique, or valued by their clients. I heard “we focus on analytics” a lot, some harmless references to client service and holistic perspectives. But little that was compelling or that would help them differentiate themselves in an industry whose overall relevancy is increasingly in question.

 Why did this surprise me?  If agencies are good at one thing, it should be marketing and selling stuff. Now, to be fair,  I was not talking to the biz dev or sales folks. But still, it made me wonder if leadership in agencies is so focused on navigating the change outside their organizations that they have ignored the need to manage the change inside, starting with the creation and communication of a clear vision and strategy for their teams.  The ability to create and deliver a message internally should not be a huge challenge for these stewards of global brands.

So what’s the impact of this?

My own experience has shown that during times of change, teams have the greatest need to understand and believe in a vision and strategy.  As part of a business that relies on digital agencies for ~75% of its business, I would love to see agency leadership make a greater investment in setting and communicating a clear vision and strategy throughout their organizations. It will undoubtedly improve the employee satisfaction and efficiency of those teams. And the ultimate impact on client satisfaction – in what is still a service business - could make it the wisest investment these agencies can make.

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