The 24-Hour Ad Agency

So here's an idea:  Given Garfield's Chaos Scenario 2.0 and Armano's recent observations, why aren't advertising agencies open 24 hours a day? By choice, by mandate. Not just because there's a new business pitch tomorrow morning. And not just because the sign outside reads "Crispin Porter + Bogusky."

I started thinking (see comments) about this idea a while ago. To recap—the focus of an ad agency today shouldn't be spending 4 months crafting the hell out of a 4-color magazine spread, but on creating new ads hourly, even minute-ly. Match the audience's appetite for content. It's as much about constantly measuring the pulse of society and the client's brand in that environment, as it is reacting almost instantly to the culture.

If we're truly living and working in a world where, to quote Armano, "we market to each other," then it's simply not enough for the ad agency to crank out an ad every few weeks or months. Or even days. We need to be online, fueling the conversation, 24 hours a day.

If a single blogger can significantly alter a brand's search ranking overnight...

If fellow consumer marketers can make their own videos for your brand and distribute them globally whenever they want...

If more and more people are time-shifting, dodging traditional ads and consuming content when and how they want...

Etc.

The evidence is already here. It's time for ad agencies and marketers (and all the other people who need to approve things) to adapt. It's time to speed up the conversation.

I'm not suggesting we abandon brilliantly written and meticulously art directed 4-color spreads or TV spots. That work must continue, because a fair amount of it still works quite well. But there's so much else to be said—so many other conversations to enable, continue, refute and enlighten.

• Imagine if your agency had a team solely devoted to instigating, producing and managing user generated content. The goal being to nurture content that tops rankings, generates links and trackbacks. In other words, adding more ways for the uninitiated to engage with your brand. This team•  could be busy around the clock. The team could be global, working in shifts, passing assignments and project status from time zone to time zone.

• Or imagine a team dedicated to social networking on your clients' behalf. Second Life, Ning, MySpace, wherever. This team's focus is authentic engagement in online environments—like the traditional street teams of yore. Fact is, your brand is part of conversations that occur around the clock. Why not have a representative in the mix?

• And blogging is terribly obvious. But here I am, kids in bed, typing away at 11 p.m. What if your agency had a team of bloggers adding fresh thoughts, comments and opinions to the conversation around the clock for  clients' benefit? Adding more links and more content related to their brands could positively influence natural search.

In effect, it's thinking about advertising and marketing as customer service. It's as much about doing the work to provoke response as it is reacting in kind. It's less about marketing to consumers as it is marketing with them, alongside them. If that's what the conversation economy requires, then it's probably time to keep the lights on, fire up the coffee and say hello to the night shift.