Integration - The Mantra to Survive

We recently did a survey with some Advertising Industry  honchos about their idea of evolving client agency relationships and penned an article for the Adclub Bombay.

Here's a sneak peek into the article:

INTEGRATE OR DIE

The ICE age is hot but is it melting away the once strong client-agency relationship? We wonder whether the agencies’ roles have been downplayed as a creative specialist churning out great commercials, by their clients. Or are they looked upon as media neutral ‘brand keepers’ today who can think ‘Integration’ as well. We checked with a few top notch Industry experts, and here’s their outlook:

Dharam Walia, VP – Ogilvy & Mather cites “Agencies have simply moved up the value chain. The client agency relationship begins at a very early stage now. Unlike earlier, when clients came back with a 1 page brief and expected some good creative of it, today they come to agencies with their business problems, looking for solutions. Clients involve agencies at a very early stage to milk their thinking abilities. In turn agencies provide an analysis, ideas and deep set solutions to resolve business-related issues for the client. These solutions then take the shape of a communication route and transpire into campaigns. The solutions are ideas and boundaries of an idea transcend the media. That’s how agencies not only keep, but nurture the brand to a different level.” To quote an example, Ogilvy decided to take the brand Bru Cafe

into an experiential mode through retail format. To read more, do visit the Adclub Bombay website