New set up for an ad agency

 

Traditionally, an advertising agency would typically have various set departments under which people are suppose to operate.  Client servicing (who do the co-ordination between client and creative, and various agency department, suppliers, etc), Account planning (who work on the strategic planning for the brand), Creative dept – headed by the creative director who supervises- Copywriters and Art Directors, Media – they plan media spends and actually buy media space on behalf of agencies – this function is sometimes hived off to an independent media buying house), Public relations department, market research department.

However, these boundaries should not be as stringent as they are right now. Successful advertising campaigns are all about a talented individuals putting efforts across disciplines. For example, creativity has no limitation. Anyone can come up with a creative idea. At the same time, everyone in the team needs to understand all the strategic planning needed for the brand. Moreover, the client needs to interact with the team rather than an individual who may or may not be able to convey the idea to his best!

Hence, the new agency set up is that of a multi talented team that has individuals who are capable of handling things across segments. One may argue that this can create confusion because there is lack of clarity of role and this may lead to confusion in the team but creativity comes from chaos! The idea generation that will be created in the group will be much more than those with traditional agency set up.

I am not denying that the new agency set up should not have people who have their domain specifications – they should be specialized in their tasks however, the point of argument is that they should not be given just that one task. This will not only keep the employee excited because he or she is being exposed to all the facets of advertising and team work but also will increase the productivity of the agency multifold. Also, there is definitely a hierarchy in the system which means that the order that comes from the senior management is final and binding however this does not stop individuals from contributing to the team.

The new agency set up (different individuals from diverse backgrounds come together and take decision collectively. No one has a pre-defined role)