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A Vision of Business in 2020

April 23, 2010 | by Judy Kessel

The future of the advertising business was one of the hot topics at the 2010 American Academy of Advertising National Conference. I had the opportunity to participate on a panel focused on business in 2010. While I make no claims of clairvoyance, I offer the following thoughts on what it will take to build and maintain a successful creative agency in a rapidly changing business climate.

Culture
Agencies will need to develop and nurture a culture that supports creativity. That includes building a more diverse staff based on age, gender, skills, expertise, thinking and communication styles. It also means creating strong, collaborative teams and keeping employees challenged, engaged and energized.

Client
Successful client relationships are, and will continue to be, based on mutual respect and shared values.

Cause
In the future, people who work at advertising agencies will place an even higher value on self-expression. Agencies will be defined by their sense of purpose, mission and values. To quote President Roosevelt (FDR), “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”

Change
Change is a given. Future success will depend upon agility and flexibility. Small shops may have to act big; big shops may need to act small. Mid-sized agencies may be ideally right-sized. Clients will want more market knowledge, relevance, passion, ideas—and above all, results.

Competent Leaders
We will need leaders, not managers, at all levels within the agency; leaders who inspire, rather than dictate, who encourage risk-taking and empower staff to develop networks both inside and outside the agency; leaders who place a high value on self-motivation, and who genuinely care about others.

Whatever the future brings, I predict it will be dynamic, exciting, challenging and, yes, unpredictable.