MEDIA AGENCY EXECUTIVES TALK ABOUT HOW AUTOMATION HAS CHANGED THE PLANNING WORK AND THE DEMAND FOR PROFILES IN THEIR STRUCTURES.

ANUNCIOS asks How is the new physiognomy of media agencies being defined?

Miguel Saldaña (Risks and antidotes)

In any automation process (and the current one, being the most drastic, is not the only one in history) survival depends on the ability to adapt in order to offer added value to “the machines”.

Adaptability means knowing how to take advantage of the benefits of automation.

To this end, agencies must continue to have specialized profiles in each “classic” discipline - SEM, Social, Programmatic - and in those that will emerge: Digital Audio, Metaverse, etc. Profiles capable of complementing automations and channeling them towards the specific objectives of each client.

The medium-term risk with these profiles is that advertisers decide to integrate them into their structures. The long-term risk is that AI will eventually replace them. The antidote is to expand the capabilities and vision of these specialists, evolving towards multidisciplinary profiles, focused on an integrated optimization of the different silos, starting with the most tactical tasks.

Added value is to go where automation does not reach. Mainly to: offer an overall strategic vision and have the ability to create/innovate.

Enhancing (and “monetizing”) the strategic consulting areas of agencies is key, taking advantage of their competitive advantage: the possibility of linking strategy with the aforementioned comprehensive optimization.

Covering additional technological areas -web, CRM...- and not -events, production...- will also be valuable.

But, although examples such as Artstation, OpenAI Jukebox or Chat GPT begin to question it, creative is the least automatable capability: offering creative and innovation services (combining strategy, planning and technology) should be a priority for agencies.