Advertising Agencies are Just a Brokers for Media houses.

Advertising Agencies are Just a Brokers for Media houses.

In the past 20 years of media experience I was under the impression that Advertising Agencies are partners to Media house, but it took 20 years to realise that Agencies are just brokers.

I came to the above conclusion with my own experience. Every year media houses gift the Advertising Agencies with calendars, books, cakes, gift vouchers, rice cookers, electric oven and what not for all special occasions like New year, Vishu, Diwali, Onam, Christmas and so on. When they come to gift the above they always say “a small gift of gratitude from our side” which made us feel privileged. These gestures also created a feeling that we are real partners of these media houses. The executives of these media houses (both print and electronic) are there for you whenever there is a release for your client, they help you in getting the best deal, they make the grid themselves, they give you good positioning for the clients’ advertisements, they make it a point that the client they deal with gets the best possible.

Coming to the point, last month we released an in- house magazine for our client with an innovation. The innovation was, view a video in a print magazine, which is otherwise called “augmented reality”with the help of an app in your mobile enabling you to view video from the print. Something similar to what we have seen in Harry Potter movies. As it was an innovation, I shared the magazine and the technology to all my fellow advertising agency friends to make use of it, though we compete each other. I also shared this to entire media houses and requested them to showcase in their channel and also to get a write up of the same in print. Though all the media houses appreciated the innovation they were not ready to carry it as it don’t have any news value. I tried my level best to explain them the scope of augmented reality in all fields like medical, automobiles , education and so on…

I should not blame all for not showing this or writing about this. Kerala Vision channel took an interview and showcased it. After seeing the interview many called me and many now are trying to incorporate this technology for their business. Also Mathrubhumi television channel took an interview but they did’t telecast. I am sure they took the interview just to please me and not to broadcast. None of the other media houses helped me in showing the innovation.

Then I realised, I should not have gone to them. There are 1000’s of innovations happening around the world, if the reporter or the editor is impressed only then it will be telecast or written about. After the above incident I realised I am not a partner to them and that I am just a mediator or a broker for their business. Attention, agency friends: Please do not have any illusion about agency –media relationship .You are far behind in the queue. Also, the media houses will do anything for the clients, but they care a damn for the agencies...

It took long 20 years to realise what position I hold in the media-mindset.