I just read that Tim Williams has hooked up with 4-A's to offer a webinar entitled "Co-Creation and the Future of Agencies: Your Agency’s New Role as “Curator,” Not Just Creator"
When I first saw the headline, my first reaction was to scream "NO". We've been touting the advantages of the agency as an outside creative resource vs. in-house agency for years. And generally proving that creative talent with independent insight on consumer attitudes and behaviors produces a better product. But the key to that independent insight is being immersed in the company -- its brand heritage, its aspirations, its competitive environment, etc.
To say that we should give up that position and embrace a role as a crowdsourcing "curator" just doesn't seem right.
I've been saying for years that agencies must rethink and re-define their role with clients to succeed, but my focus has been on broadening the agency role as a resource to guide the client through the maze of multi-channel marketing options available (and too often confusing) to clients.
This webinar will focus on a different aspect of being a resource for clients, based on increasing incidence of marketers going around agencies to work directly with the media, production companies, and even directly to creative talent via crowdsourcing. Apparently, Tim will argue that by embracing the ability of the World Wide Web to solicit and deliver creative ideas from across the globe, agencies can stop defending their position as the exclusive creators of content and also adopt a role as curators.
According to the registration materials, "an agency curating the best content on behalf of its clients is like a museum curating the best art on behalf of its patrons. Several new unconventional agencies have built their entire business model around the concept of “expert sourcing” in an attempt to redefine the way “creative” gets done in the 21st century. We’ll show how agencies can create more value for their clients by exploring and embracing the many different forms of co-creation available to agencies today. "
I'm all for providing the best content on behalf of our clients. But, I'm sorry, I just can't wrap my arms around actively positioning the agency as a curator vs. a creator. One of the best lessons I learned in agency management was to think about "unintended consequences" to my decisions. If we embrace redefinition as simply a go-between coordinator, then how easy will it be for clients to say I can do that much cheaper in-house.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light!
