Click Asia Summit 2011: Digital heads discuss the "changing face of the agency"

At day one of the Click Asia Summit 2011 -- a conference and expo designed as a conversational platform to address the power of digital and mobile marketing in Asia -- Max Hegerman, president, Tribal DDB India and Ashok Lalla, president , digital, Euro RSCG India delved into digital advertising and what consumers want.

Hegerman commenced his discussion by pointing out that "digital versus traditional" was the wrong question. "Online versus offline is not the right question either. The need is to create true engagement. So, how should you better engage consumers to drive them to buy your brand? The answer is big, beautiful, powerful ideas, ideas that are not slaves to a particular media, ideas that blur the lines between ATL and BTL," he said.

People could become friends with others by attaching their names on stickers to a friend's cardboard profile. Cardboard stands, complete with actors were created for fan groups, and for applications such as Farmville and Mafia Wars. People could use stickers to comment on these. They could also add 'like' stickers to people, groups and comments.

The philosophy of the day was that the park is much more fun than the internet. Thus, the message was, "Digital is smart. Be stupid."

"The idea later got tweeted and written about immensely online. It was also organised by reaching out to people via online. So, was this an online or an offline idea?" quizzed Hegerman.

He spoke about another campaign where the lines blurred between online and offline -- the Livestrong Chalkbot campaign for Nike. The company's support of Lance Armstrong and the Livestrong Foundation's fight against cancer was expressed through the 'Chalkbot', an interactive campaign developed at Wieden+Kennedy Portland.

The campaign focussed on writing messages in chalk on the roads, during the 2009 Tour de France. The Nike Chalkbot, a purpose-built machine, took messages from spectators around the world via SMS, web banners, Twitter and WearYellow.com. These messages were then sprayed in yellow chalk on the French roads for all to see.

Over the course of a month, the Chalkbot gained more than 4,000 followers on Twitter, received more than 36,000 messages and printed thousands of them over the 13 stages of the Tour de France. The campaign won Gold Prix in the Cyber Lions category at the Cannes International Advertising Festival 2010.

He concluded his discussion saying, "The fight is not to be on this side or that; the fight is to create a world where communication is just communication, not segmented pieces of advertising sewn together in a media mix. It's time that we got over the petty sentiments and embraced the opportunity that lies ahead, a pasture that has never been greener."

Then, Lalla of Euro RSCG India discussed how people tended to focus unnecessarily on the medium, rather than the idea.

"The idea is the idea, not 'digital'. When a client says I want an iPhone app, I ask them, 'When was the last time you told your agency you wanted a hoarding at Haji Ali?'" he said, making a point.

Lalla elaborated, "When people say, 'Give me a Wiki or a banner or Ajax', where is the idea? These are not ideas, just like running an ad on the front page of a newspaper is not an idea. The first guy who thought of and ran a QR Code used an idea; but now all automobile companies have QR Codes that lead people to an ad or just regular information they could have got through a simple SMS. 'What's the idea?' is the question," said Lalla.

He also added that one needs to look at the business problem or need and then look for ideas. The digital medium should not be substituted for the idea itself.

Lalla took a step back to examine the many ways in which digital agencies took shape -- media buyers and tech companies transforming into agencies, mainline agencies launching digital arms, setting up of specialist shops, specialists becoming generalists, and enthusiasts turning entrepreneurs.

He pointed out that years ago, there used to be a "TV department" at traditional agencies when television just came in, while the main creative department worked on print. The genesis of digital agencies, too, is similar.

"But things are a-changing, because brands are no longer what we tell consumers they are. It's what consumers tell each other," he said.

He pointed out that people tend to look at ATL, events, CRM, add-ons and then digital. However, he opined that digital at the periphery doesn't serve the brand too well, because what's on the periphery is the most potent. "Consumers are a tweet or a poke away," Lalla pointed out.

He cited the example of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, following the BP oil rig explosion last year. After the mishap, a man started a Twitter account, 'BPGlobalPR', satirising BP Global's hapless, heavy-handed PR efforts. The account had over 1,55,000 followers in a short period of time.

Discussing the changing face of consumers, he said they are widely connected and always switched on. They are no longer passive recipients of messages, but creators and carriers instead. They empathise with communication that involves them, and are apathetic to being "talked to".

He added that agencies are awakening to new realities, where the days of departments and silos are numbered. Linear ideation through execution is passé. Teams need to include client, consumer and agency, where all sit together and decide on a campaign strategy. "Campaigns aren't about clever hooks anymore, but about enduring platforms. Consumers want platforms they can stand on and take off from," said Lalla.

"Story-telling is passé, the new way to look at it is 'story building'," he opined. "Put the basic building blocks out there -- your brand's basic features and offerings -- and let the consumer give it shape. I like to quote the example of Lego blocks -- with the same blocks, make different shapes every time, evolving into something new and fresh," Lalla concluded, leaving the audience with something to think about.