Ad Alert !!!

AD ALERT !!!
CAUTION : Experiential , BTL and Event Agencies



Cliché it sounds, but 360 degree support, full service agency and such terms are buzzwords in the advertising and marketing fraternity since the past few years. The big daddies are geared up to unfold brands and render them a larger-than-ever lifespan through multidimensional brand support. One of the finest brands, Tata Nano, was launched by reputed ad agencies , event divisions followed by multi-city brand activation. Similarly, the Lipton Yellow Label puzzle engagement, Tata jaago re and some others received similar focus with activations executed by mainline ad agencies, BTL and event division support.
Most of the advertising agencies have also ventured into specialized rural activations & Exhibitions both of which now seem to be the top booming segments. It is a fact that most of the top experiential agencies do not have dedicated shops to run this segment, and they somehow force-fit this system within the central activation and events unit.
In the case of exhibitions, the interior designer community has aggressively ventured into the arena of specialized stall designing, which has again hit event agencies badly under the butt.
It is now a fact that the radio stations have their dedicated in-house activation and event divisions to cater to their client needs, and indeed do a profitable linkup with on ground activations, making it a value-added deal for the client. Specialised BTL agencies are likely to deliver such support with added cost. So, irrespective of the best engagement exercise, the value of the deal eventually sweeps you clean against such radio activation agencies.
Even our Media and Outdoor agencies are not left behind to deliver our experiential support to their brands. Our agency was recently approached by a highly reputed outdoor agency to handle a five-city event for one of their FMCG clients.
The top 25 advertising agencies have their own in-house BTL& Event divisions, but do top 25 event agencies have even thought of rendering alternate marketing solutions to there brand.. ???
Brilliant strategies and creative exercises are meaningless if they do not achieve business objectives.
Today’s specialized BTL and event agencies must face this challenge of innovating and restructuring themselves to offer a full service mechanism. But how?
Does the client consider event agencies as just another vendor whom they can hire for immediate execution support? Or does it see such agencies partnering it as a parallel and loyal marketing force?
The answer lies in the question and is obvious. Maybe this is the reason why e-agencies have not till date thought of full service mechanism.
With all due respect to advertising agencies and alternate marketing medium agencies to benchmarking yourselves and achieving the standard of specialized BTL and event agencies, you have shared with us a lesson that we now need to learn fast.
And evolve and function as agencies which can house FULL SERVICE SUPPORT to clients.

…by
sanatsolanki@tantraa.net
Follow on Twitter :@sanatsolanki