The fundamentals of advertising have not changed significantly since its beginning in the form of town criers. However, the industry has evolved much from a single person taking the drum around the town with a message to the masses. One of the most obvious changes which can be seen has been the specialization of the various functions and even sub-functions, given the complexity of media today. Creativity is no longer broad-based; there are niche operators specializing in specific mediums like the Web. Similar is the case with media management. Today, it is considered to be outside the purview of the conventional agency, especially when leading FMCG spenders have their own media experts in house to keep an eye on the spends.
In that context, one can look at an advertising agency as a creative hot shop, with other functions as its support. However, in today's complex world where brand clutter, niche positioning and related inputs are required to manage a brand, where would creativity find direction if no one took ownership of the brand and its building process?
In addition to all these is the development in terms of industry requirements, like retail advertising, which calls for more emphasis on operations or global brands, which require extensive coordination.
In this context, an ideal approach for the advertising industry is to move towards the key account management structure. The core team of marketing persons would be held responsible for the brand and all communication elements. This core team would act as an extension of the client, and in some cases may even be an implant at the client's office, depending on the nature of their business.
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