AdAge: Agencies of the Year 2008

Perhaps there is hope.

AdAge has published its annual "Agency of the Year" report. No big surprises here.

Agency of the Year: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Global Agency of the Year: Tribal DDB

Perhaps the nod to Tribal DDB versus just DDB merits a raised eyebrow or two. And Editor Jonah Bloom provides some fodder on that particular nomination. Given the lethargy across most of Traditional Advertisingland, it's heartening to read thoughts like:

"Being more flexible about what you are and, particularly, what your end product might be, is imperative."

It's all about consistent experimentation with staffing, budgeting and managerial models. Goodby's and Tribal DDB's finance teams deserve credit for an apparent willingness to support entrepreneurialism, even in the face of recession.

"Marketers increasingly understand that if an agency is doing its job properly, it won't know what its end product will be until it understands the challenge being posed."

And kudos to their clients for either insisting on or being a party to non-traditional solutions. (The awards could do a better job of recognizing the client partners who approved the work that elevated Tribal and Goodby.)

A question for your marketing organization: Are you celebrating risk or insisting on the status quo?

"There may be only a handful of working examples of agencies operating this way right now, but product creation as marketing solution is going to be more and more important in a consumer-controlled media world."

A bit vague. But perhaps that's the point. At least "product creation as marketing solution" is better than ":30 TV spot and 4-color magazine spread as marketing solution."

It's faint. But maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Good for AdAge to try and point the way.