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Web Shops Go From Underdogs to Top Dogs.

A couple of days old, but I found the story interesting, yet oversimplified. Oversimplified because there’s more than one route for digital agencies to follow – one is indeed becoming more of the “agency of record” for brands (as opposed to simply “digital agency of record”). I think an agency like R/GA is particularly well-positioned to make the leap here.

But digital agencies can also go a different route and double down on their digital expertise, going beyond marketing to fuel a client’s broader technology strategy – think everything from IT to enterprise collaboration to digital marketing. I think that was Sapient’s idea at one point – although now they seem to want to go the “agency of record” route. The agency that stands out above all others here is Razorfish: because of their strong technology heritage (and the manner in which they’ve inspired loyalty amongst employees, which CANNOT be overstated), they can address a larger range of issues than their peers. Does being part of Publicis change that? Not if Publicis is smart and continues to invest in and play to the firm’s strengths.

I’ll say this: the digital agencies that are poised to lose are the ones that don’t know their identity and as a result, can’t convey why a client should choose them over any other agencies out there. To borrow terms from Bain, you can build adjacent strengths around a core (as R/GA is doing), but that first requires you to know where your core lies.

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