Posted: April 5, 2019 | Author: Aneesh Kamat
I have a habit of reading the late-night news on my cell phone just before hitting the bed. While social scientists may opine that using a mobile phone late at night causes sleep disorders, I’ve come to believe that it’s just the opposite in my case.
For starters, it assures me that I’m mostly updated about large global events until the moment I sleep; and secondly, it enforces a good habit of reading useful stuff – something that any leader worth their salt will tell you.
But last Wednesday night was different.
I recall checking Campaign India on my phone, and the first news I saw was ‘Accenture to buy Droga5’. The rush of questions and emotions ensured I was wide awake upon reading that!
After all, David Droga and his iconic advertising company, Droga5, was the poster child of creative, purpose-driven and result-oriented communication agencies. If advertising were a religion, Droga would be a modern-day demi-god.
So, what does the Droga5 takeover by Accenture exactly mean for the advertising world?
The Data and Analytics Juggernaut
At the outset, it is important to understand why Accenture - a global consultancy giant, would acquire one of the world’s most awarded advertising agencies - Droga5.
As it goes, this is hardly a surprise – almost every large tech and consulting company has bitten the creative marketing technology bullet – think Accenture Interactive, PwC Digital Services, IBM iX, Deloitte Digital and Cognizant Digital Advertising.
As data and analytics becomes increasingly crucial, clients demand for measurability of every dollar they spend. And we at Seagull always say, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”
With programmatic advertising, real-time analytics-based AB testing, and an increasingly aware consumer base it's little wonder that tech companies and creative ideation hot-shops are joining forces to steer clear of choppy waters.
How will the tech guys and the creative guys work together?
As Droga5 becomes part of Accenture Interactive, the first question that pops up is ‘How will creative and tech people work together?’
The answer, it turns out, is brutal but true – traditional advertising is dead
The future is Creative Marketing Technology.
Brian Whipple, Global CEO of Accenture Interactive says, “The future of brand building is not just about creating great ideas; it’s about creating great experiences.”
We at Seagull feel Brian couldn’t have said it any better.
As modern day brand custodians, the thin line between the creative guys and the tech guys has been dissolved – we all have to be jack of all and master of all. The need of the hour is to create disruptive ideas and tell compelling stories across multiple touch-points in a consumer’s journey – in the ‘phygital’ (physical+digital) world.
What is the impact in a developing country like India?
For many traditional advertising gurus, the unprecedented infusion of technology in creative ideation is a hard pill to swallow. The ones who saw the tide changing adapted quickly by acquiring new-age skills in an increasing landscape of digitally-empowered consumers.
From OgilvyRED being launched in India to Dentsu Aegis Networking buying digital agencies like Namics, Sokrati and Happy Marketer, the entire ecosystem of ‘digitech collaborations’ is seeing a huge paradigm shift.
The writing is on the wall, and the future that India thought would come to its shores has already arrived.
Creative Marketing Technology is here to stay, and as India continues making giant strides globally as the next big superpower, only a tightly-knit, cohesive solutions-driven approach is the way forward.
At Seagull Advertising, we saw the changing tide well ahead of time.
Our strategic partnership with the US-based HubSpot, Inc., the world’s foremost player in Inbound Marketing, empowers us to bring the best of creative ideas and data-driven marketing automation to the table.
After all, the only way to succeed in today’s times is to share, collaborate and grow together.
So, while I may have stayed awake for a part of Wednesday night, the next morning was brilliant. While some parts of the world and many companies in India are still wondering what to expect from the future of advertising, Seagull has already raced ahead of that curve.
We are already on the right track of creative marketing technology and are now poised to take on the arduous terrain of an ever-changing customer landscape, with ease, and help our clients grow better.
Written By - A Copywriter at Seagull Advertising
For more news on this topic check out the following links -
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/business/media/accenture-droga5-advertising.html
