Future of the Ad Agency

Former associate Lou Killeffer talks about the future of the Ad Agency.  Worked closely with the concept of ad agencies and their use of data for years, and he makes some useful predictions.  An excerpt:

For Whom the Bell Tolls?   By Lou Killeffer

The handwringing over the death of the advertising agency isn’t new, it’s been trending now for years. Ken Auletta’s most recent book, Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else) speaks eloquently to the issues involved, most particularly in Chapter 1, “The Perfect Storm”, and Chapter 3, “Goodbye, Don Draper”. Goodbye, indeed, as the issues involved have all sprouted precisely where they were planted - in the fields of efficiency, transparency, speed, and trust.

While these issues are real, I don’t fashion myself a modern-day Jeremiah as I’ve always known that trends come and go, that there’s a pendulum in play in human and organizational, behavior. (Not to mention the continuing power of follow the leader across marketing in general and marketing executives in particular.) No, I’ve always thought that at some point the trend away from the advertising agency will reverse itself and return – if not to the point of origin then somewhere closer to the mean.  Well,  seems we haven’t seen the apex of the arc yet. In fact, if anything, pressure is accelerating away from the agency model and picking up speed.   ... " 

What Does an Agency Add?

Fairly good thoughts,  but not quite enough detail.   But the 'can ' and 'could'  must be rated by their return.   ...  but the potential return for digital could be large .... and what digital might  do,  might replace what agencies could do.  So what is left?  I do like mention of the processes involved, and agencies could be very good at that.

How an Agency Adds Value in an AI Era

By Rob Horler, Chief operating officer, Quantcast. Published on April 03, 2018.

" ... What will the agency of the future look like in this new AI era? How will agencies add value? As someone who spent almost 20 years in the agency business, I firmly believe in the value that agencies bring to their clients and I know there is an incredible opportunity ahead. However, this will require a disciplined focus on what agencies "can" do best versus what they "could" do. ... "

AI Systems Communicating with Humans

Intriguing steps forward, ultimately about learning and updating the state of interactions.  Consider too the mention of trust, and implications of deeper agency between bots, assistants and their human users.

AI Systems Are Learning to Communicate With Humans
A computer science professor out of Carnegie Mellon is developing CoBots, or collaborative robots, to help people with simple tasks around the office.

The CoBots are also being taught effective communication based on more than just numerical data, with the hopes that the bots can gain human trust.

In the future, service robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) are bound to be a common sight. These bots will help people navigate crowded airports, serve meals, or even schedule meetings. ... " 

Danger of Devices like Alexa to Security

Have been a user and experimenter with Alexa, Google Home and Cortana since their introduction.   Been asked about privacy implications.  Agency thoughts were recently brought to my attention for assistants in generally.   Excerpt:

Just How Dangerous Is Alexa?

Shelly Palmer  CEO at The Palmer Group

" ... The Willing Suspension of Our Privacy

We apply similar concepts to our online lives. Most of us are willing to give up our data (location, viewing, purchasing or search history) for our online enjoyment. We can call this the “willing suspension of our privacy” because if you spent a moment to consider what your data was actually being used for, you would refuse to let it happen.

The Willing Suspension of Our Agency

Which brings us to the next level of insanity: the willing suspension of our agency for our own enjoyment. This is past the point of giving up a “reasonable amount” of data or privacy to optimize the capabilities of our digital assistants. Suspension of our agency exposes our normally unmonitored physical activity, innocent mumblings and sequestered conversations. Some people believe this is happening with Alexa, Google Home, Siri and other virtual assistant and IoT systems. It may well be. ....  "