http://adage.com/article/digital/agencies-defend-turf-ad-tech-moves-clients/244706/
An interesting article on the symbiotic rivalry between ad agencies and ad tech. It seems that the takeaway is that client/brand really needs both in varying degrees. Key insight from Quentin George “The application of data and understanding audiences is where real value is.” Absolutely. To which I might add, the understanding of data and its application to gaining a brand a larger audience is the yin to the yang.
In the extreme, brands may feel their agencies are too concerned with ideas and not enough on ROI (we’ve heard that fairly often). The purpose of a marketer is to market a brand. The awards and tchotchkes are great but too often they seem to be the focus for some agencies with their desire for cool creative trumping a measurable impact on brand value.
The flip side is that clients can feel lost when presented with a mountain of data from their ad tech partners. They see the information and cognize its importance, but feel lost when they ask for insight and get more data. They need help understanding what the data means and what to do with it.
We work with both ad agencies and ad tech clients and can see where a balance needs to be struck between the two – for a brand to be successful, data needs to drive marketing choices, but an insightful marketer helps to understand the “why” behind the “what”.