Nick, I read your opinion piece in AdNews yesterday and it would appear that my recent comments about agency discounting have triggered you to respond in ‘biblical proportions’.
"Mythical giants of media doom"?
The race to the bottom is hardly mythical.
The view I put forward wasn’t one of self-promotion, rather a wider concern that the media industry has been commoditised, that discounting tactics of some agencies are devaluing thinking and creating the basis for unhealthy client/agency relationships.
In reference to the importance of data ... I agree it’s very important. However it’s less about “data being difficult to acquire”, and more about making sure you attract and retain the talented senior staff that can interpret the data and apply it quickly and effectively.
Having and managing real time data is only useful for a client if it leads to effective solutions.
Metaphorical analogies about David and Goliath are entertaining, but sidestep the real issue at play. This industry needs to get back on track and deliver the best possible outcomes for both clients and an industry as a whole.
It wasn’t my intention to create a slanging match between big and small agencies, in fact I have a great deal of respect for some of the larger agencies in town. My intention was to express what the industry has been talking about for the past 18 months or more and hopefully put the spotlight on practices that ultimately do no one any good, client, media owner or agency.
Simon Rutherford
Chief Executive
Slingshot Media Ventures