It is overwhelming to consider the speed at which emerging platforms are changing the way that consumers interact with content. As creatives, we can no longer ignore the impact that new channels will have on our business model, or the pressures that our clients feel in terms of being represented in every consumer facing media outlet. It is predicted that in 2011, for the first time, sales of smart phones will surpass sales of desktop computers. Apple will sell over 55 million iPads this year and 80 new tablets were unveiled at CES. As content creators, how can we keep up with these new platforms and all of the content that must be created for those screens? It is hard not to lose sleep over the pace at which new technologies are emerging. Our old ways of working are coming to an end. But rather than freak out about this new world, we can get in front of this emerging platform revolution and ensure that our companies are prepared to deal with the changes in this new media landscape.
Companies need to be restructured to best service partners who are struggling to keep up with the rapid shifts in media platforms. This means an efficient, nimble, multi-talented staff with broad, creative and technology-centric skill sets. And we have to change the way we think about our role in the process. Content creators can no longer just be vendors, handing over finished products to be dropped into an existing media template. We need to serve as a creative partner who can help clients understand how to create innovative content that glides seamlessly across screens of multiple sizes. Clients need a knowledgeable partner more than they need an amiable vendor.
So what kind of company is best suited to be that creative partner? I know that a smaller company with less layers of bureaucracy in place will have a leg up in the fast-paced world of new media. Even the massive agencies and production companies have created smaller innovation units and labs that work within the agencies more creatively and faster than their larger parent organizations ever could. Will all creative companies, regardless of the size of their staff and budgets, need to adopt this small agency mentality where creativity is not hampered by layers of approval and process?
The new breed of creative companies also needs employees who are prepared to deal with the quick turnaround and long hours expected by clients who are under incredible pressures to keep up with new platforms. To keep and build a sustainable, flexible staff we need to be flexible with our employees. When we were working on a spot to launch The Daily, there was a quick turnaround and our team was expected to work nights and weekends. In exchange for the sometimes-impossible demands we put on our employees, we are small enough to offer them benefits like three-month sabbaticals or flexible hours.
So, while a creative shop does not need to be small in order to offer content and insight into these new platforms, they need to function as if they are small. As we watch traditional ad agencies try and catch up with these advances, the shops that are moving to the head of the pack are the ones that can move with the same speed as the people who are developing the technology they are trying to sell.
Elizabeth Kiehner is co-founder/principal at Thornberg & Forester, NY.