Last week, while watching the trailer of a series that is about to be aired on one of the OTT platforms, I happened to notice an ad for a brand. The scene showed a car driving on a highway and passing a well lit billboard.
Out of curiosity, I got in touch with the brand manager and came to know that this was an initiative from their team to enhance brand visibility. The team was looking at opportunities that would help them to add value to the brand.
This was a slight modification of the product placements that we normally see. It is normal to see a billboard on a highway. What attracted my attention was the way the whole thing was filmed. It was a night shot but the billboard was well lit and there was no chance of a viewer missing it.
Today, the role of creative as well as media agencies is undergoing major changes. Agencies and clients should work in tandem to enhance brand visibility. Clients depend on agencies to create strategies and add value to the entire thought process.
Unless agencies get into this, they will be seen as a commodity and, as we all know, commodities are easily replaceable. Market and consumer insights provided by the agency are way more valuable than the ability to buy media at a lower cost.
Anyone can do execution, but only those with strong strategic abilities can sustain them in the long run. The sad truth is, not many agencies realise this.
Boil down to ad rates
Many agencies are finding it difficult to differentiate themselves from competitors. It is almost a parity situation and clients have started questioning the fee that is being paid in a commoditized situation. It is important for clients to realise that the media landscape is in flux.
Strategic inputs from the agency team will help the brands to navigate and come out with effective solutions. Agencies should move from a passive role to the role of an active collaborator. This will lead to enhanced efficiency and effective buying.
While it is true that clients understand their brands better, they often get blindsided due to various factors. That’s where the expertise of the agency team comes in. From being a supplier, agencies should become brand partners and also an integral part of the client team.
A supplier status
There are many clients who treat their agencies as a supplier who will negotiate on their behalf and help them to buy media at a lower cost. Clients should realise that media agencies are not operating out of a vacuum. Agencies invest in tools and, more than that, on the right talent that help them to provide vital insights which ensure that every dirham spent reaches the audience it is meant for.
It is the responsibility of the media agencies to make the clients understand the landscape, provide a bigger picture and work in tandem with them. Unless agencies do that, clients will see them as a replaceable service provider.
Agencies need to add value by identifying strategic opportunities that will help the brands under their care to stay relevant in a market that is cluttered. Adding value is not a new concept - but in these changing times when clients are looking at engagement opportunities beyond what is promised, it has become mandatory for agencies to dig deep and find innovative ways to add value.
