Finding ROI in Digital

As anyone who works in advertising right now knows, the traditional agency model is going through a huge shift. Where clients once looked towards digital agencies for their specific expertise, we now realizing the importance of having strong integrated agencies; able to navigate everything from TV to a brand's social media presence. Agencies are looking at how they can incorporate these channels in the initial conversation with an overarching idea being at the centerpiece. Ironically, we are likely to go back to the model of the past where one agency handles most of the client's business. But for now, we are contending with more traditional agencies laying people off, social media agencies growing and digital agencies becoming more like large traditional agencies in their hay day, minus the huge production budgets.Recently, there has been a huge debate as to how engaged Facebook users are with brands. Social media agencies, who can thank Facebook for their very existence, are now asking, "how can we get clients to think about social media beyond Facebook?" Many of these social media agencies are hiring more digital strategists and people from traditional backgrounds, realizing they need to diversify their offerings. Everyone is trying to figure out how to navigate the day to day implementation of social media. Do agencies completely cut down long standing barriers and work hand in hand with clients' PR agencies? Do they guide brands initially and then recommend hiring an house community manager? And where does mobile fit into all of this? Do mobile app developers drive the strategy or are they just digital production houses?

And more importantly, agencies are increasingly being asked to prove their ROI on digital. Today, I saw an interesting online campaign done by Wranger Europe. The video featured an Instagram-like film of a couple in a romantic setting. I didn't even quite understand what the website was asking me to do - click an arrow to continue the film? There was a drag feature that froze the film and as far as I'm concerned, its only purpose was to look really cool. And you know what, it did. At that moment while playing on the site, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, Wrangler jeans." In fact, I don't know if I've ever thought about Wrangler jeans. But because Wrangler used digital in an innovative, pioneering way and referenced Instagram, I thought Wrangler was cool and will look for them the next time I go shopping.

So I ask - when was the last time a client measured the efficacy of a television campaign beyond eye balls and brand sentiment? When was the last time an agency measured a radio campaign beyond listeners? So as we increasingly expect digital to create a stronger connection with consumers, and have even higher expectations for measurability and ROI, I ask, why should digital be any different? By developing innovative, digital campaigns, clients are relaying to consumers that they are innovative and forward thinking, thus becoming more appealing in a consumer's eye. In fact, it's no coincidence that leaders in their category including Nike, American Express,  Coca-Cola and even Virgin America are all known digital innovators. Sounds like some pretty strong ROI to me.