Comments on: Do clients need specialist agencies? No, but they do need specialists

By: Lies, damned lies and statistics » Blog Archive » The lost generation of marketers argument revisited

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:14:46 +0000

[...] to come back to it all needing a good creative. Yes it does need that. But as I argued in a post last year it also comes down to understanding measurement, understanding the speed at which things happen [...]

By: Dirk Singer

Dirk Singer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:18:32 +0000

I think that’s all valid Ben, I agree there has to be a mix of experience and proven results…and an ability to think wider in marketing terms. But at the most basic level I do agree with what David said a year ago, we need to eat our own dog food!

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:43:50 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ciaranoreilly: Excellent post on role of Social Media agencies by @dirktherabbit http://bit.ly/9JMore...

By: Ben Kunz

Ben Kunz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:53:20 +0000

Yes, it is a simple logic step to think experience = results. But the issue is more complex. First, social media is a young medium and is going through the normal transition of tool focus (latest SM forums or measurement) to channel performance, just as web sites used to be run by IT departments before finally landing in Marketing; because of this, a lot of current experts focus on talking tools and tech vs. real results.

Second, there is immense BS in the gold rush of this space, a bit problematic for clients trying to find help for solutions.

Third, past performance is no indication of future success. Toy, the shop that did Elf Yourself, just announced it’s closing shop in NYC. You’d think such a viral hit would allow them to write any ticket, but viral success online is subject to huge randomness.

If I were a marketing director, I’d want a team with some proven experience in the space, who uses the tools, and who has achieved results. But I’d look more for their ability to achieve results across a wide range of medium and campaign formats; for an ability to think critically about solutions and to be hard-headed in evaluating alternatives; and for their ability to learn new things quickly. The critical ability to think, forecast and delivery in any campaign format is more important than someone who had a viral hit last year or can talk the latest social-media code.

It’s the results that count, not the medium or the message.

By: Do clients need specialist agencies? No, but they do need specialists | Drakz Free Online Service

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:46:38 +0000

[...] Do clients need specialist agencies? No, but they do need specialists Share and [...]

By: Dirk Singer

Dirk Singer — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Thanks for the comment Danny, absolutely it’s not some secret dark art only available to the select few…but at the very least there does need to be demonstrated familiarity with the sector and a willingness to get to grips with it.

By: Danny Whatmough

Danny Whatmough — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:31:58 +0000

I totally agree Dirk. I’ve been banging the drum about how PRs are perfectly placed to take all this on as long as they learn and learn fast. Many won’t, but those of us who do will be well placed…