Agencies always start up with a singular focus. No one starts out to be an integrated house. You start by doing what you do best whether it be PR, direct or inbound marketing, social media or media integration/creation. Eventually though, you realize you can't go any further as a single-faceted agency. One dimensional agencies have a ceiling that they can't break through unless they expand into new areas of expertise and capabilities.
Businesses are taught from an early age (through trial and error usually) that they should find out what they do really well and stick to it. However, agencies are a different animal entirely. If they don't add new capabilities they will essentially wither and die.
It's a weird dichotomy isn't it? One type of business can only survive by streamlining their offerings while the other type needs to continuously develop new capabilities to keep up with their client list. One is chained to the wheel of progress (whether they like it or not) and the other can remain in permanent limbo if it so chooses.
The market is ripe for the expansion of a new crop of integrated agencies, which of course will spring from the sleek, nimble agencies with great leadership and insight into the marketplace. The integrated agencies that survive will have had to make a fundamental shift in order to continue to be successful.
Awesome start up agencies are springing up to fill the void left by lean shops making the jump to integrated. Now is an amazing time to start up an agency and hone your craft and own a marketing niche. The choice du jour these days is social, but great houses are emerging that are looking at metrics, guerrilla, media and small scale integration as their bread and butter.
The opportunities and means are there for the taking in the agency world. Nothing separates you from the big guys except your desire, capabilities and willingness to ball up. With that in mind: always plan for scaling up. You never know when your big shot is going to come. It all depends on the client, the moment and your positioning. Be ready.
Photo Credit: soldiersmediacenter
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tagged as ad agency growth, full service agency, integrated ad agency, integrated house, marketing agency, media agency, one dimensional agency, social agency
Nailed it.
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