The Digital Department - Forget "Integration" lets start with communication of one vision

I wrote an essay about bundled and unbundled agency models for an advertising essay competition which I did not win or even make it to the shortlist but it did get me thinking about what agency model works best.

The conclusion for my essay at the time was that it boils down to communication. If a media buyer and a planners working in the same client team aren't talking what are the chances that things will be different if the media planning agency was seperated from the buying agency. This is the same if the creative and media agency were under one roof but do not talk either.

Now don't get me wrong. I love all marketing buzz words and "integration" is just one of those terms that is not practiced but heavily preach. I do like the theory of integration but when you are surrounded by different egos, thinking styles, people with various levels of experience the "one vision" on how a campaign is carried out can often become blurred. Wasting hours of miscommunication, revision of creative/media plans, late sign-off by the client and very mediocre campaign results where the unspoken key learning was when did the vision fall down.

When I say "talk" I mean sitting down all in one room face-to-face and getting everyone's head around one vision. Before achieving this one vision, there needs to be a thorough explanation and exchange of ideas to make sure everyone in the room is on the same page. Now talking is just one form of communication, once the face-to-face is over emails and phone conversations become the major tools to ensure the "one vision" is developed and implemented - as agreed.

However, what I consider to be even worse than running a whole bunch of poorly executed campaigns is that people start losing passion for their jobs. Everything so simple and enjoyable begins to become a chore. The frustration and stress which comes with the blurred vision is the long tail effect of great people who do a great job seeking more satisfying ways/places/avenue to spend their 9 to 5 or more realistically for some 9 to 8.

As cliché as it sounds when I first heard it, great people are the lifeblood to the agency. When will clients and those involved in campaigns realize one vision is the way to go.

How much integration is practiced in your office?