Agency of the Future
This year's B3003 Internal Management course was expertly co-taught by Professors Michael Farmer and Rodes Ponzer who exposed students to multiple perspectives on best practices in managing the process and people in a service-oriented marketing communications agency.
The results were spectacular -- especially given the challenges within the industry today. Advertising and marketing communications is no longer an industry of “idea development” where brand identity is generated through one-way forms of storytelling. It must now include new forms of consumer engagement which require managed story building.
This presents new challenges in the ways in which managers must be fluent in developing strategies, fostering collaboration, evaluating content, visualizing information, reacting to consumer participation, making persuasive presentations – all while breaking down agency silos that inhibit productivity and collaboration.
In addition, the business / economic environment in which managers operate has become more challenging that ever: client fees are under constant pressure, clients have competitive internal operations, relationships are short rather than long-lasting, and industry competitors are lined up to take client business away. The business environment has become more hostile and difficult for marketing and communications professionals.
Today’s agency manager must not just manage a process-driven environment, but become change agents who can recreate a healthy, dynamic, and sustainable culture with business relationships that are worthy of respect, permit improved economics and generate positive marketplace results.
Among the outcomes of this class is for BICsters in the Management / Planning track to be able to apply process management skills to the delivery of complex, data-driven, strategically-based creative products: insure the timely delivery of quality materials; design workflow charts that elevate performance, accomplish key tasks and react to the ongoing nature of campaigns.
Projects throughout the semester were designed to allow BICsters to demonstrate management leadership: assess trends and opportunities to retain competitive advantage (for both the client and agency) as well as develop new business; use persuasive techniques at all points in the process that galvanize the organization, inspire stakeholders, and build sustainable relationships; provide evidence of the value of marketing communications expertise and creativity as a key component of meeting business goals and adding to brand value.
The final project of this substantive and challenging course ties the 15 weeks together: working in teams, BICster invented the "agency of the future" A.K.A Modern Agency Inc. (MAI). Deliverables included defining MAI’s mission, creating a profit model, building an operational structure, developing an agency culture and talent retention strategy and developing a key client list.
Below are selected slides from Team Charlie's final presentation. This team was made up of Francesco Rizzo, Sahana Chowdhary, Sara Ledra, Xia Song, and Xia John.