Dumb agencies will continue to overspend on the "wrong" technology. Smart agencies will continue to overspend on talent.
Digital advertising needs technology, its impossible to scale without it. That said, the only digital advertising that I advocate is paid search and re-marketing. These two cannot be executed without technology but you still need very smart people to do it properly. The problem is of course that there are many expensive technologies on the market that promise much more than they can possibly deliver. Last year they were all omnichannel platforms, the year before that they were all attribution platforms and this year they are all big data platforms . The only thing that remains consistent is that they are all still full of shit.
To quote Jonathon Swift (who also knew a thing or two about bullshit) 'Old men and comets have been reverenced for the same reason: their long beards, and pretenses to foretell events'
There is a certain global agency that thinks millions of dollars worth of technology and a rigorous process in an online software program can do a better job than good talent. This, is in the hope that everyone in the company can do just as good a job instead of paying for great talent and staff training. Pay peanuts for shit tier staff, give them a campaign planning process by the numbers and they'll somehow innovate or spend weeks in a rigorous process coming to a response that would have taken an hour with common sense. Hey, at least all this bullshit on a slide wins pitches.
Nostrabobus? Is that you?
ReplyDeleteI know half the money I spend on technology is ... oh never mind.
ReplyDelete“The book can also be a hat.” ― Stanley Kubrick
ReplyDeleteDumb agencies will continue to overspend on the "wrong" technology. Smart agencies will continue to overspend on talent.
ReplyDeleteDigital advertising needs technology, its impossible to scale without it. That said, the only digital advertising that I advocate is paid search and re-marketing. These two cannot be executed without technology but you still need very smart people to do it properly. The problem is of course that there are many expensive technologies on the market that promise much more than they can possibly deliver. Last year they were all omnichannel platforms, the year before that they were all attribution platforms and this year they are all big data platforms . The only thing that remains consistent is that they are all still full of shit.
What is more expensive? Creative Talent or Technology Talent? Top Tech talent is as rare as Top Creative talent.... most of both are .... not great.
ReplyDeleteTo quote Jonathon Swift (who also knew a thing or two about bullshit) 'Old men and comets have been reverenced for the same reason: their long beards, and pretenses to foretell events'
ReplyDeleteI'm still expecting licking.
ReplyDeleteThere are 2 kind of agencies: Big agencies and good agencies.
ReplyDeleteTalent is the source of magic. Tech only provides process.
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain global agency that thinks millions of dollars worth of technology and a rigorous process in an online software program can do a better job than good talent. This, is in the hope that everyone in the company can do just as good a job instead of paying for great talent and staff training. Pay peanuts for shit tier staff, give them a campaign planning process by the numbers and they'll somehow innovate or spend weeks in a rigorous process coming to a response that would have taken an hour with common sense. Hey, at least all this bullshit on a slide wins pitches.
ReplyDelete