There is hope on the horizon

I note with interest Rupert Howell’s comments in Horizons regarding the evolving of marketing agencies in order to provide result-led business programmes for more demanding and better-informed clients.

While I agree with much of his argument, I believe his vision of splitting the creative and production offering into separate entities, is a backward step. In a market more competitive than ever, and under constant financial restrictions, it has become a priority for agencies to produce and implement advantageous creative campaigns.

Over the past few years, marketing agencies have had to continually change their offering to suit the ever-changing demands of clients.

Current trends have seen significant pressures placed on in-house marketing staff, which for the most part, filters down to the relationship with the consultancies. Our response, as an industry, has been to provide strategic counsel, or at least promote the concept even if in some cases, the reality is untrue.

The key to a successful future for consultancies is to prove not only that they can offer business and results-led strategic guidance, but also produce and implement these campaigns as well.

The challenge now, is to identify areas of growth where agencies can begin creating wealth for our clients, rather than releasing it. It is in such sectors as the digital market, where consultancies can deliver and implement high-end, results-led campaigns developed in house and to reasonable margins. With such offerings in place, marketing agencies can look forward to a productive and profitable future.

Martin Osman

Managing director

Bellman

Haywards Heath, West Sussex