Relationship troubles

摘要

The client-agency relationship is undergoing a sea change. The economic meltdown, combined with the precipitous rise of all things digital, is significantly altering the expectations and demands companies make of their agencies. "So much has changed, but I think the economy just brings into stark relief trends that already were under way," said June Blocklin, a partner with Gilbert & Co., a marketing management, merger and recruiting company. "New technologies have been massively disruptive to the media marketplace, and the rise of search marketing is a good example," she said. "But the agency world is nowhere near where they should be here. Search is often the first thing the agencies outsource."