Advertising Agency vs. Social Media

Two very interesting articles by Joe Marchese about how the communications business is changing. In his first article (Social Media Demands A Reinvented Agency), he analyzes how Social Media serves a different purpose from a traditional camping. A second article (Agencies: Reinvented Or Replaced) goes on discussing if the traditional agency is ready to manage a social media campaign, or even if it will be able to evolve and change.

On one hand we have the traditional advertising agency model, on the other the new media and especially social media. Although both have plenty of points in common, the differences are significant, especially in how different is the set up for both of them. While a traditional campaign has a clearly define beginning (launch) and end, a social media campaign has to be an on-going effort to be really effective. So the problem is not that much, if a traditional agency can undertake a social media campaign, but if they (and their clients) are able to change their mind set up. Not an easy task especially when agency compensation is being systematically reduced and kept under scrutiny and quick returns the law of the day.