Extinction. Preventable.
In a recent article published in Inc. Magazine by Arthur Fleischmann, the former group CEO of Ogilvy/country lead of WPP Canada, Arthur talks about all the panic about AI and it being the root cause of the demise of agencies is like blaming the cow that didn’t kick over the lamp in the Great Chicago Fire.
AI is rocking our world, there’s no question about it. But as Arthur states, AI won’t be the arsonist.
And those that master it and take control of it and know how to take what it gives you and make it even better, will begin to win the day.
AI is only as good as the human on the receiving end.
It’s about knowing the right prompts, focusing on defining clear goals, gathering and analyzing relevant data, selecting the right tools and of course, continuously monitoring and adapting one’s approach.
But all that said, Arthur points out that winning the day requires agencies to be more than just marketing agencies. They need to be partners in their clients’ businesses.
We’ve been telling our clients this for years.
In our “Getting to Close” webinar we give to new clients to help them best operate in our lead generation/outsourced new business world at RSW/US, we tell clients to not just think about the relationship as one that revolves around creative and communication assignments.
Make it one that centers on the business of the client at hand.
How can you make their world better with the work you do, the smarts you have, the strategic support you can provide.
According to Fleishmann, the other things he suggests agencies need to consider are the following:
- Master behavioral science. He suggests that these aren’t buzzwords, they’re the accelerants of decision-making.
- Mind your C-E-Os. The CEO is the ultimate decision-maker.
- Think sprints, not marathons. Skip the long decks and endless meetings.
- Embed change management. Map new workflows, reward early adopters, and treat each launch like a mini-merger.
In our latest new business survey report while 49% of professional service firms say the volume of new business opportunities have held steady, 40% stated that the value of those opportunities have dropped.
Making a relationship less about the tactical things you can do and focusing more on the things that Fleishmann says are important in a growing, healthy relationship, is the preventable way to avoid extinction.
