When the Line of Digital should be Fading

So this week AKQA was chosen and awarded by Adweek and by Campaign with the title ‘Digital Agency of the Year’. Yes, we celebrated here although credits obviously do not go to me, but I do am bloody proud for being part of it. I was glad to read the articles where the magazines are already debating whether something still needs to be called ‘digital’. Does it still need a separate title? I actually think not. Like Yacce Vijn recently said on the Amsterdam Ad Blog: “The term is slowly eroding; when I go to a shop to buy a camera, I’ll ask for a camera, not a digital camera. It’s obvious that it will be digital – everything is. I think the time is ripe to stop putting digital labels on agencies and go for integrated by default“.

He is absolutely right and they should cancel the title ‘digital agency’. Every (successful) campaign today has a digital component. Even if only the case study video goes viral afterwards. You can immediately distinguish the innovative agencies that were considered traditional and have proven themselves completely integrated in today’s communication. Think for example of one of the most brilliant campaigns of 2011 that’s still ongoing today: The Old Spice campaign from “traditional” (?) agency Wieden+Kennedy where they truly have proven how direct the communication between consumer and brand can be. Or agencies that have proven to put the border of definitions even further away with full-integrated campaigns connecting outdoor with digital such as what Droga5 did for Bing and Jay-Z (one of the most inspiring campaigns in the last decade if I may say so).

The other direction we see as well and I actually hope we will see more in the future: AKQA’s viral video ‘Trick or Treat’ for Audi pleased the client so much it went on tv afterwards as well – done by a ‘digital’ agency. So what’s the definition of a TVC anyway? Both Old Spice and Heineken’s The Entrance videos first appeared online before going on tv, so is that a digital or a traditional video? It’s time we don’t need to ask ourselves that question anymore and just call it ‘advertising’ from now on. As it always has been of course.

As well as I’ve said here before that I love AKQA for having the reputation of a quality (digital) agency, yet the planning of the campaigns is exactly the same as in any other ‘traditional’ agency: trying to have a deeper understanding in the people and the world. Obviously there’s digital data as well, but that simply is part of the entire strategy spectrum and definitely what all agencies deal with today as I’ve been trying to explain above. I actually dislike the term ‘Digital Planner’ instead of calling yourself just ‘A planner’. It somehow limits your possibilities and is actually contrary to what the whole idea of advertising planning is: finding the relevant tone of voice, audience, communication style AND communication channels.