The Disappearance Of Ad Agencies As We Know Them
Monday, 04. 20. 2009 – Category: Enversa Companies
Historically, changing times have called for shifting measures and ways of advertising products and services. However, throughout the years, ad agencies have always managed to maintain their hold and have cornered the market when it comes to promotions and advertising. It is looking increasingly likely, though, that traditional ad agencies are headed for a rapid decline and extinction. The reason lies largely in the dramatic shift in media as we know it.
The types of media that ad agencies typically produced ads for – television, radio and print journalism – are all shrinking rapidly. For the first time in ages, an entirely new media is taking hold and grabbing the attention of the people that is so highly valued by advertisers. The Internet and its various components are truly changing the way that the advertising world works; the old models simply cannot adjust to fit the needs of this emerging media giant.
Traditional advertising worked based on the principal of a largely captive audience. People watching a sporting event on television, for instance, would have to sit through a couple of minutes of ads in between periods. Advertisers were guaranteed a certain amount of exposure. This was particularly true back in the days when there were only a handful of television channels available.
Similar concepts applied to print journalism and radio audiences; they would have to listen to a few ads, or flip through a couple pages, to continue enjoying the program or article they wanted. The new Internet media world, though, completely renders the concept of a captive audience useless. People have more options than ever before at the tips of their fingers; with the click of a mouse button, a person can navigate away from advertising; there is no longer any guarantee that ads produced by an ad agency will have any real effect.
Going forward, then, the concept of the ad agency not only needs to be revised; it needs to be entirely dismantled. There is no room for the dinosaur that is the traditional advertising agency in today’s modern world. More and more, independent people are learning specialty niches for promoting products online. People who seek the promotion of their product or service are far likelier to look for multiple, individual people who specialize in specific online marketing strategies, rather than an ad agency that can only produce the same old, archaic means of promotion.
In a few years, ad agencies are sure to be things of the past. Rather than looking at this as the end of an era, though, it should be embraced as a new way of doing business. More than ever, advertising will have to be relevant and interesting to the people that it targets. Consumers will be the true winners in this brave new world.
Marc Pickren is the President of Enversa- a performance-based marketing agency.
Tags: Enversa Companies, Marc Pickren, Performance-Based Marketing