e Magus

  Quite sometime back I had posted on LinkedIn an update mentioning, in the future, agencies will be offered value based compensation by clients. Few days back I met one of my ex-colleague and he gave his own POV and also asked me to elaborate on my thoughts. Albeit the delay, this long post is just that. Alright, so picture this: the ad agency game, a whirlwind of creativity and strategy. But here's the plot twist – the traditional billing method is feeling a bit outdated. For more than 50 years, everything in the agency has changed, except the retainer fee. It is like watching multiple seasons of a TV serial but with that one character who has not changed - in looks or in personality.   Having a retainer based fee is fine. I’ve nothing against it. It’s like trying to watch a blockbuster movie on a black-and-white TV. Sure, it works, but it's not quite cutting it anymore. The problem? The usual time-based billing doesn't always sync up with what clients really want – measu...

  A Roadmap for Real-Time Personalization Campaigns Driven by AI and Data In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and advertising, the convergence of technology, data, and AI is reshaping the industry. A paradigm shift towards personalization and real-time experiences has become the new norm. In a recent McKinsey report on personalization at scale ( https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-technology-blueprint-for-personalization-at-scale ), four key pillars were identified: Data, Decisioning, Design, and Delivery. While Data, Decisioning, and Delivery have seen significant advancements where big technology and consulting players - Adobe, Salesforce, Google, to name a few, are making great strides, the Design aspect remains a manual and resource-intensive process. This presents a unique opportunity for creative advertising agencies to revolutionize the industry. The untapped opportunity lies in addressing the Design pillar of person...

These are interesting times. With the lockdown and impeding near-recession scenario, agencies will be faced with challenges in terms of both revenue growth and being prepared for the new norm in a changed world. As advertising agency business is closely linked to client’s business and since most companies will focus on business continuity, portfolio sustenance, and holding to their market position thus impacting marketing spends…it will not be business as usual at the agency end.   Some of the answers that agency leaders seek are - Profit: Where are the growth opportunities for agencies? People: How do agencies retain/attract talent? Process: Will there be any change in the way agencies work? Growth opportunities: Going by the popular catchphrase - follow the money, we know marketers have and are investing heavily into Martech & data in a big way. Their future marketing actions would be based on these investments. As a marketing and communicat...

Y esterday, while waiting for my turn in a hair salon, I realized how much a similar a digital ad agency business is to this age-old profession. Every little thing that goes on in a hair salon is similar to what an ad agency does, especially in India. The place: From a corner barber shop to an upmarket hair salon, digital agencies comes in various shapes and sizes. You have the small shops run by couple of people to a well laid and beautifully done up work place employing a large number of professionals. The offerings: Digital agencies offerings too, are similar to hair salons. On one end you find them basic services, like a shave & cut, of just website design and development. On the other end, you have full fledged offerings - from design to SEO, to Social Media, Analytics, Media...similar to a hair salon whose offerings also include beauty treatment, pedicure/manicure, spa, etc; Reception: Like all hair salons which has old magazines with dog ear pages, you’ll find most of...