INSIGHTS

There’s an interesting (and long-going) debate happening over at Advertising Age. Today’s article, written by Jacques-Herve Roubert and entitled Why Digital Agencies Are Indeed Ready To Lead, presents his view that digital agencies are indeed ready to “sit at the head of the advertising table,” thus replacing the traditional agency. His take counters Ana Andjelic’s earlier post which suggested that digital agencies weren’t in fact ready to lead this charge. The points move from years of experience on the traditional side to immediacy on the digital side to a changing behavioural landscape overall.

I think it’s great to have this sort of debate; particularly if you’re just starting to get involved in digital marketing and wondering how the traditional can play a role. And while both articles represent some truths, they both miss an important point. A point that’s made clear by reader TimGeo in the comments section: “Any agency that still believes there is a difference between ‘digital’ or ‘traditional’ is probably not ready to lead. We shouldn’t confuse tactics and channels for strategies and ideas. We need all of them, and we need them working together.”

Well said.

Mike Charbonneau