Incumbent client structures certainly needed tweaking. With a marketing director overseeing an ad manager, a direct marketing manager and a digital marketing manager - with their own direct, digital and ad agencies - digital was always going to struggle to show its true potential.
Effectively, a jury was deciding on the role of digital in brand activity, with the IAB as foreman, and ad agencies weren't too sure about going there again after their initial costly forays in the early days. So, direct was a natural home for digital marketing, where results and relationships matter. It was borne out by the flurry of new business in the latter half of 2004, with major pitches for integrated digital and direct marketing from players like Powergen and Egg.
At Craik Jones, we're working on digital acquisition activity for a direct client, Orange, which leverages our strategic, consumer insight and creative work across all channels. More clients are moving their digital marketing into their direct teams to focus on acquisition and retention activity, regardless of channel, leaving digital teams to do what they do best in terms of site build and fulfilment.
This year will be busy for direct marketing agencies as we get more digital work from incumbent clients and see digital work demanded in direct pitches.
Not just a few banners and emails, but integrated CRM. So, where does this leave established digital agencies? Well, they need to add an industry-strength direct offering or team up with someone who already has one, but hasn't yet worked out how to spell html.
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