All This Is Now Simply...
- rachelrubin91
- Jan 18, 2019
- 3 min read
The brands that matter are the brands that do.
A new agency model has evolved: one that fuses creative thinking, data and technology to drive strategy, iterate messaging, measure progress and map new opportunities. What does this mean for traditional advertising agencies like Ogilvy & Mather?
The Father of Advertising
Often described as 'The Father of Advertising,' David Ogilvy was a visionary. He understood that a brand was nothing without “meaning, coherence and shape.” Consequently, Ogilvy & Mather has always been known as an agency that excels at producing iconic, culture-changing marketing campaigns through brand strategy that challenges the status quo.
Shaking up the Advertising Industry: The Rise Of Digital Consultancies
As marketing becomes increasingly data-driven, traditional advertising agencies find themselves competing for business against an unexpected rival: consulting firms. The traditional media landscape has exploded. Consultancies formerly known for their auditing and management consulting expertise are now dominating the advertising world.
"Consultants are seen as problem-solving business thinkers, while agencies cultivate an image as artists”
– Chuck Kent, Chief Conversation Officer at Lead the Conversation
Consultancies have entered the market with the unique ability to offer one-stop solutions which combine hyper-targeting with broader brand awareness techniques. Creativity is no longer a strong enough value proposition for agencies to use to deter brands from hiring a digital consultancy that can “do it all.” In fact, Accenture Interactive, Deloitte Digital, PwC Digital Services, and IBM iX rank among the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital agency networks.
Data-led strategy – not creative alone – is driving top-line growth. Ogilvy has embraced this by creating Ogilvy Consulting, an in-house consultancy which sits at the intersection of branding, innovation and analytics. According to Paul Heath, Chairman & CEO of Ogilvy, the creation of Ogilvy Consulting gives the agency the ability to “bring together strategic and executional capabilities unlike other consulting firms in the market.”
So, What Does This Look Like In Practice?
Let's take a look at Ogilvy’s use of cause marketing to promote the Philips SimplyGo Portable Oxygen Concentrator. Philips is famous for consumer electronics, but the company wanted to promote its leadership in the healthcare technology sector.
Traditionally, a consulting firm would approach this challenge from a data-driven angle, while an agency would typically have sold the client on a creative approach to communicating the brand story. In the new “agency as a consultancy" model, strategists are hired to consult with clients like Philips and use a data-driven approach to dig into points of distinction which will help create meaning, coherence and shape for the brand. The 'Breathless Choir' campaign tells the story of a group of people whose breathing difficulties had gotten in the way of their love of singing. Philips SimplyGo enabled them to sing again. By taking the focus off the actual product and highlighting the audience advantage, Ogilvy positioned Philips as brand a that does.
The Future...Is Bright?
I’m impressed by the way that Ogilvy has handled the rise of digital media consultancies, however, only time will tell if Ogilvy will truly be able to pull-off a rebrand. Even though Ogilvy Consulting was launched almost 3 years ago, many still view Ogilvy as just an ad agency.
In fact, when you search Ogilvy on Google, the first result describes Ogilvy as a “advertising, marketing and PR agency.” If Ogilvy can’t describe itself as a global strategy and innovation consultancy, how can it possibly expect brands to view it in that way?
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