Marketing agencies lack social media know-how

How clued-up is your marketing agency? If a recent report is anything to go by, your agency probably isn’t sufficiently “in-the-know” to successfully service your social media needs.

by Helen Leggatt

tns%20logo.jpg As social media moves up marketing executives’ priority lists, TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony took the opportunity to ask more than 60 marketers across North America, France and the U.K. for feedback on their agency’s capabilities with this increasingly important media.

The results are worrying. It seems most perceive their agencies, in TNS’s own words, “don’t get it”. Some participating marketing specialists, from blue chip companies including Sony and Suzuki, felt that by applying old models to social media, traditional agencies could do more harm than good.

"You get the sense that agencies talk a good game," Jim Nail, chief marketing and strategy officer at TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony said via AdWeek. "They put up a good presentation about what social media is, but when you get to implementing campaigns, the day-to-day management skills are not meeting the marketers' expectations."

It's not the first time that agencies have been criticized for being slow to pick on up changing technology and consumer habits.

With many marketers of the opinion that social media will play an increasingly important role in their online strategies and that it isn't a passing fad, it is clear that agencies need to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills and experience to make the most of online opportunities.