The Social Media Challenge for Traditional Agencies

Many traditional ad agencies are starting to offer Social Media services. But traditional agencies face the danger of falling into the same trap as Interactive Agencies – it’s all about the Big Bang. It’s Campaign Central time. Pricey microsites, lots of SEO, intersticials, banner ads everywhere, a little PPC advertising, because the more expensive the campaign, the more money the agency makes.

additionally, a number of traditional agencies have added Web designers and a few coders and heralded the arrival of a Web design side. This is good, and in many ways is a natural progression for an agency. The challenge however, is that Social Media turns the Big Bang model on it’s head, not just in money terms, but in length of engagement and the results, along with measurability.

Added to the challenge is that Social Media quickly becomes more than a marketing campaign. As a company gains experience in Social Media, they discover opportunities for product research and product management, operational benefits and implications for corporate strategy.

Big Bang marketing campaigns can be good in Social Media, but implementing one-off campaigns can do far more damage than good. It becomes “obvious” that it is just a marketing ploy and this turns off the consumer.

Traditional agencies will face the challenge of not only understanding the broader implications of Social Media on a client, but as well the business model changes and longer engagement cycles not driven by campaigns.