What trends will shape the (digital) marketing agency of the future? It’s a constant question that agencies and clients are always asking, and always looking for answers. 
And there’s one theme: many feel unprepared. The goal of this presentation is to look beyond the trends. How can agencies (and clients) prepare for success years from now? 
Based on everything we’ve seen — research, conferences, work, email lists, happy hours … We set out to 
pull together key elements that agencies and clients need to be acting on now for success in the future.

1. 5 TRENDS FOR DIGITAL AGENCIES
TO BE READY FOR 2020
Feb, 2017
Eric Shutt, Dir. of Strategy -
iStrategyLabs

2. BEYOND 2017:
What trends will shape the (digital) marketing agency of the future?
It’s a constant question that agencies and clients are always asking, and always looking for answers.
And there’s one theme: many feel unprepared. The goal of this presentation is to look beyond the trends.
How can agencies (and clients) prepare for success years from now?
Based on everything we’ve seen — research, conferences, work, email lists, happy hours … We set out to
pull together key elements that agencies and clients need to be acting on now for success in the future.

3. THE TRENDS:
1) Convergence & Consolidation
2) Content Marketing
3) Cultural Strategy
4) Interactive & Experiential
5) “New” is Now Standard

4. #1) CONVERGENCE & CONSOLIDATION

5. GET READY
FOR THINGS TO COME TOGETHER.

6. Agency Consolidation.
Companies and Brands will continue to see
the value in more integrated content
production as the lines between TV, digital,
and traditional marketing continue to blur.
Agencies that are ready to offer unified
Brand ideas, concepts, and campaigns, and
execute on them across channels will be
best positioned to win.
CREATIVE CONSOLIDATON

7. Omni-channel.
Advertising seamlessly across channels.
The theme of marketing and advertising
converging into a single experience across
channels has been consistent in recent
years. Content and media planning across
all channels will continue to be more
relevant and essential.
Ex. — Nielson, right.
MARKETING UNIFICATION

8. Integrated Data.
A data-driven approach needs to be a core
capability of any leading agency.
Data integration is both a key capability
and a key challenge for enterprise
companies. Those who are able to solve
will keep a huge advantage.
CROSS-CHANNEL ANALYTICS

9. Organizational Change &
Structure.
Brands are thinking deeply (and in some cases struggling or
behind) on internal structures to meet current marketing needs.
Further, Brands are evaluating how to structure or consolidate
agency partnerships to be most effective, and bring capabilities
in-house. Ongoing transformation is a norm if you’re going to win.
• “Chaos is a ladder [of opportunity]” — 360i*
• Cannes Lions 2016 winning entries: 42% involved 3 agencies or more.
Effective collaboration is key.
• A core challenge is to merge systems & storytelling. — R/GA*
• Facebook restructured around mobile early — Facebook*
• Nintendo re-invented its company around many products — playing cards, toys,
before video games — Facebook*.
• McDonalds consolidated agencies and brought content studio in house. —
McDonalds.
* Presenters @ IAB Mixx Expo 2016.
MARKETING TEAMS

10. #2) CONTENT MARKETING

11. PREPARE
TO PRODUCE AMAZING CONTENT.

12. Content Consumption
is Growing.
Reports and data show that Americans spend 8-12
hours per day across all types of content, with some
data showing projections of 15+ hours.
Electronic content accounts for 10+ hours per day
of consumption.
CONTENT CONSUMPTION
Hours
0
3
6
9
12
2015 2016 2017*
Sources: (Left, linked)
13%
87%
Second Screens:
87% of consumers use more
than one device at a time.
Source: AdWeek via Accenture
Content Consumption is
10+ hours per day.
Projections show
Americans are spending
more time with content.

13. Quality Beats Quantity
Creating, publishing, and targeting the right content
and messages to the right people is more important
and more possible than ever.
Deeper insights and data availability on customer
interactions and media performance allows for new
and ongoing optimizations around engagement that go
beyond volume, impressions and saturation.
Maintain a good mix of content and experiment with
creative concepts under the umbrella of your content
strategy to maximize performance.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

14. Original Content.
Demand is growing exponentially for original,
high-quality custom content and brand stories.
Brand storytelling will continue to evolve and
become more and more relevant.
Exs. — 360i quickly re-positioned and reinvented brands through “epic” storytelling (ex. —
Old Spice). Martin Agency continues to grow GEICO’s brand story through innovative
uses of tactics and mediums (unskippable ads).
PREMIUM CONTENT

15. Video Content Wins:
With effective promotion, video is among the most
engaging and visible content.
Video content has been shown to drive awareness,
engagement, and conversion in the areas of Brand
consideration, favorability, and purchase intent.
Stat: 89% of consumers watch long-form video on
connected devices.
Tip: Count on people watching with the sound off.
Source: Think w. Google
VIDEO

16. Organic Reach = 0%*
Particularly in Digital media, a paid promotional strategy
integrated across digital channels is critical. The dream
of an egalitarian information web utopia has quickly been
replaced with pay-to-play advertising models for Brands.
“Virality” is largely a myth. A strong content strategy
supported effectively with paid promotion is the
foundation of a truly cohesive and impactful marketing
and content approach for established Brands.
Social ads optimization for specific and deliberate KPIs is
critical to getting the results you want to see.
* Approximation & Exaggeration for effect. Actual organic reach is <1%
Source: Sprinklr
PAID DIGITAL SUPPORT

17. Amplification & Influencers
Influencer Marketing and other amplification tactics
(including UGC) are one way to offset the decline in
organic reach, for now, with earned media.
This tactic comes with its own benefits and challenges,
with an opportunity to create new and broader visibility —
and with logistical and budget considerations that may be
comparable or even more complex than a paid media.
This also goes beyond “internet celebrity” influencers who
command millions of followers and big partnership
budgets. Brand advocates with a reach of even 5k, 10k, or
20k can create a powerful network of amplification that’s
more authentic to the Brand.
“EVERYDAY INFLUENCERS”

18. Sponsored Content.
Sponsored content (“native advertising”) will
continue to be a trend, and something agencies
need to be well positioned and prepared for —
promoted content distribution beyond social
channels.
Banner and display ads will play a supporting but
diminished role based on low performance rates.
Ex. — GumGum (right).
NATIVE ADVERTISING

19. Capturing Micro-moments
With instant information access and real-time
relevance, automatic mental associations and recall
from branded content is more influential than ever.
Brands that establish themselves as effective and
relevant thought-leaders in an information space have a
strong advantage.
Ex.: REI — A search for outdoor gear and tips
is likely to lead you to REI. They have a great content
strategy around outdoor activities that goes beyond the
products they sell.
MICRO-MOMENTS

20. #3) CULTURAL STRATEGY

21. CONNECT PRODUCT AND LIFESTYLE
IN A CROWDED CREATIVE WORLD.

22. CREATIVE TRENDS
What is Cultural
Strategy, Creative &
Lifestyle Branding?
How Brands can position themselves as relevant
emotionally, beyond the functional benefits of
the product.
Speak from our “Why”, not from “What”.
Right, a simplified model is shown. To be
effective, several factors need to come together
in the right way — primarily positioning the Brand
to solve an emotional tension in people’s lives.
Functional
Benefits
Emotional
Benefits
Cultural &
Lifestyle
Branding

23. Cultural Strategy
In a crowded creative world, Brands that
connect emotionally will continue to command
presence over companies and products that
emphasize commoditized features and benefits.
Iconic advertising has capitalized on this for
decades. However, it’s increasingly the standard
— and a critical differentiator — for Brands to
establish themselves by their story.
CULTURAL & LIFESTYLE BRANDING

24. CULTURAL BRANDING
SECRET: IT’S OFTEN “SNUCK IN” BY CREATIVES.
Cultural marketing isn’t usually outlined in existing
brand positioning or conventional marketing vision.

25. Cultural Strategy —
Creative & Lifestyle
Branding
Trend: Information overload has lead Brands to
pursue a more deliberate, explicit lifestyle branding
and creative approach.
More than ever, Brands are specifically targeting a
lifestyle-focused strategy, connecting the Brand
back to emotional values over simply emphasizing
features.
CULTURAL MARKETING

26. Telling Powerful Brand
Stories
Brands are creating a narrative and “brand myth”
that goes beyond features and category benefits
— and connects back to their products and the
lifestyle they represent.
Ex. — Toms Shoes.
CULTURAL MARKETING

27. “IF YOU LET ME PLAY” - 1995
Cultural Leadership &
Values
To be authentic, Brands need to practice what they
preach. Brands gain authenticity by acting on and
actively shaping their story, and implementing
cultural leadership to show their cultural value.
Ex. — Coke, Red Bull.
CREATIVE TRENDS

28. REI — #OptOutside
REI made a bold statement in 2015 when it closed all
of its retail stores on Black Friday and encouraged
people to go outside instead.
The message was clear — and extremely relevant to
REI’s core customers: the Brand’s mission is more
important than consumer culture.
CREATIVE TRENDS

29. “IF YOU LET ME PLAY” - 1995
Dove — “Real Beauty”
Dove has continually built upon its long-running “Real
Beauty” campaign, well regarded as a best-in-class and
effective example of cultural marketing.
The Real Beauty campaign is a great example of a CPG
brand making a statement in support of its real core
consumers, based on real data and insights from the
Brand — that only 2% of women consider themselves
beautiful.
Recent extensions include #ChooseBeautiful and
#MyBeautyMySay, which bridge new and traditional ad
formats to activate the concept across channels.
CULTURAL MARKETING

30. Cheerios — “Love”
Perhaps unexpectedly, Cheerios found itself in the
spotlight after featuring a mixed-race family in some
of its recent commercials.
Rather than shying away from the attention,
Cheerios has embraced the message of
inclusiveness by continuing to feature the same
family in a newer Super Bowl spot — highlighting
love, strong families, and positive cultural values as
the centerpiece of its message.
CULTURAL MARKETING

31. #4) INTERACTIVE & EXPERIENTIAL

32. EXPERIENCE
IS EVERYTHING WE’VE EVER DREAMED OF.

33. All marketing is experiential.
Traditional + Digital + Physical = Experiential.
Everything comes down to how people experience Brands
across every aspect of their lives. Brands that emerge visibly,
consistently, and effectively have a strong advantage.
Brands are magnetic when they approach marketing as the
total collection of all ways that people see and experience
them — and are able to attract people naturally rather than
simply trying to convince them of the Brand’s value.
We’re deep into a world of two-way experiential exchange,
beyond one-way messaging.
EVERYTHING’S AN EXPERIENCE

34. Broadcast formats move
to interactive engagement.
Even traditional broadcast formats like television and
outdoor advertising now include engaging formats and
tactics, with interactive features, #Hashtag prompts on
billboards, and digital outdoor displays that feature user-
generated and ‘real-time’ content.
Examples:
Hulu Pre-roll — Choose your own commercial, and
interactive ad formats. Interactive billboards.
61% of consumers expect to buy a connected TV for
their next purchase.
CROSS-CHANNEL INTERACTIVE

35. Shared Experience &
Interactive Games.
People are looking for opportunities for shared
experience in real time regardless of location —
similar to old feeling of watching the same
thing at the same time on TV.
Brands should be providing actual experiences
beyond just telling stories. How to make people
feel connected. What that’s not: precision
marketing & me me me. Emerging trend will be
not on individual but shared group activity.
Ex. — VW Rival Road (right), Mr Robot.
INTERACTIVE GAMES

36. #5) “NEW” IS NOW STANDARD

37. ALWAYS EVOLVE…
“NEW MEDIA” ISN’T NEW ANYMORE.

38. Mobile has Matured
We’re no longer in a mobile-optional world. Real-time
search, and surfacing relevant content at the right
moment is now the norm.
And, it isn’t just about “SEO” or “SEM” — it’s about
having the genuinely right, informational and creative
content that gives people what they want and is
connected to the value of the Brand. It’s largely in our
control via content strategy and paid support.
Key areas: Content Delivery & Web Search.
MOBILE FIRST, FOR REAL

39. Programatic, Personalized &
Contextual Ads.
Automated image recognition, cross-device targeting,
content creation and distribution tools, contextual
targeting,
Ex. — Conversant: Personalized marketing.
Yahoo / AOL = Verizon; content network.
AUTOMATED AD OPTIMIZATION

40. ”Real-time”, Automation &
Messaging
The cutting edge of media and content trends are in
marketing automation and opportunities for real-time
relevance.
Digital ad automation and one-to-one messaging
platforms (including bots) offer opportunities for
deeper optimization and personalization.
Ex. — Sprinklr Rules Engine Ad Optimization,
Facebook Messaging & Bots, Amazon Echo.
Source: KPCB Internet Trends 2016
Source: Sprinklr
REAL-TIME & MESSAGING

41. The (Bleeding) Edge
Content is becoming more immersive and integrated.
While potentially relevant, ensure first that they’re
strategic. New tactics will increasingly become
standard campaign elements:
• 360 Photo & Video. Engaging and relatively easier to produce.
Extends into VR.
• Augmented Reality: Interesting use in DIY content engagement
and “digital scavenger hunts”.
Ex. — Snapchat Filters, Pokemon Go
• Virtual Reality: Fully immersive, but currently low adoption and
accessibility.
• Voice UIs & Connected Devices: Potential applications
connected to in-home, health & fitness, location, and e-
commerce. Ex. — Amazon Dash, Alexa, Echo.
INFINITY AND BEYOND

42. SUMMARY

43. FOCUS ON CORE TACTICS &
PUSH CREATIVE BOUNDARIES

44. Focus on Core Content
Strategy & Tactics
Watch out for distractions, and tactics masquerading as
creative strategy. Data infrastructure to support content
strategy and promotional optimization is critical.
New content tactics are constantly emerging, and its
important to rely on Brand strategy and stories to separate
relevant tactics from flash-in-the-pan gimmicks that
employ something new and shiny just for the sake of it.
Experimenting with new tactics is great — just be sure they
connect to the Brand mission.
SUMMARY

45. Experiment with Cultural
Creative Concepts
Celebrate emerging creative trends and sample from real
customer and Brand loyalist culture to plant a flag and
make a statement.
People know and appreciate when they see a Brand taking
risk and sending a message that may not speak to everyone
— but speaks to the people who are closest and most
important to the Brand.
SUMMARY

46. Stake a Claim & Rally Around It.
Execution + Creative = Victory.
Tactics and creative are both critical to a winning combination for
effective (digital) marketing.
Executing solidly on core tactics and strategy is more important
than chasing new trends. Incorporating and testing new options
in a measured, deliberate way is the best approach.
Creative that speaks to cultural cues and connects to the Brand
value, product, and lifestyle is the best compass for impactful
creative concepts.
SUMMARY

47. THANK YOU!

48. REFERENCES
Cultural Strategy - Holt & Cameron
Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands
How Brands Become Icons - Holt
The Principles of Cultural Branding
Buying In - Walker
The Secret Dialog Between What We Buy and Who We Are