Newly appointed executive creative director (ECD) of digital agency DT, Jerker Fagerström, believes that the jargon that agencies sprout is holding the whole industry back.
Fagerström who came to DT from DDB Stockholm where he was ECD and managing partner, told AdNews that agencies are being held back from dealing with the C-Suite because of how they discuss terms such as above-the-line, and talking about 'digital-first'.
“I don't like that stigma that comes with below-the-line, or above-the-line or whatever imaginary line, because no consumer, no real people, draw any line,” Fagerström said.
“When we're the ones who are repeating the digital or technology first, that's what's holding this industry back, that's what's keeping us away from the C-Suite. I don't think it's digital first or technology first, I think it's the best possible idea is going to win in the mind of the client.”
During his career Fagerström has worked with clients incuding McDonalds, Adidas, Volkswagen, Lufthansa, H&M and the Swedish Armed Forces and he believes that agencies today need to focus on creating ideas and innovation and that can only happen when agencies have technology units in-house.
“You will come up with better ideas and more innovative thinking when you have a better know how of technology in-house, especially when that is paired with the creative and strategic thinking. I believe you need to be knee deep in shit to be able to dig your way out. You need to do this stuff in order to leverage the skills and the know how for the benefit of your clients,” he said.
“The quality of the ideas will be better if you actually have the capacity of doing stuff yourself, if you do it everyday you know the limitations and opportunities with technology, creativity and strategy.”
DT’s CEO Brian Vella who announced his appointment last week, echoed Fagerström's sentiments.
“Digital has been the back bone of DT for 18 years, which has delivered year on year double digit growth,” he said. “However that’s not enough anymore. We need to go beyond that. It’s not about digital vs advertising either, it’s about creating truly memorable brand and customer experiences. In the connected age we believe this can only be achieved by a blend of creativity, strategy and technology, and a culture that celebrates and respects them equally.”
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