What's Old Is New
ADWEEK|February 4, 2019

Agency Consolidation May Be On The Way As Creative And Media Come Together Again.

Lindsay Rittenhouse
What's Old Is New

Last June, a bizarre campaign known as “IHOb” had social media users buzzing about the possibility of the International House of Pancakes turning into the International House of Burgers ... or Bacon? Biscuits?

That stunt garnered 1.2 million tweets and over 15,000 earned media stories in 10 days and was the result of a true collaborative effort on the parts of both media and creative—IPG agencies Initiative and Droga5, respectively. Initiative, earning a place on Adweek’s list of Best Media Plans of 2018 for the effort, saw the need to make IHOP into more than a weekend breakfast destination and was behind a series of mysterious social media posts that led to the debut of the chain’s Ultimate Steakburgers. The latter was unveiled in Droga5’s creative.

“We collaborate very closely with Initiative, and they have been excellent partners in helping us not only get to better work but in making sure it has the biggest impact and reach,” said Droga5 chief media officer Colleen Leddy. “The partnership is especially valuable in that we are truly partners: We look for solutions together and generally come together with a joint [point of view].”

With the emergence of new technologies and advanced marketing capabilities driven by data and analytics, and as a new generation of agency leaders rises, partnerships in which media and creative agencies work closer in tandem for clients are becoming the norm. Clients are increasingly consolidating their advertising needs with one agency or holding company, and it has some speculating whether this will eventually result in creative and media being placed under the same roof again.

This story is from the February 4, 2019 edition of ADWEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 4, 2019 edition of ADWEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ADWEEKView All
News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly
ADWEEK

News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly

From Trump to ailes, the fox news personality fearlessly faces off with the powers that be—and ends up crushing the cable ratings race.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 28, 2016
The Big Bang
ADWEEK

The Big Bang

Global consultancies are rocking the agency world, creating a new universe of offerings that meld marketing and technology.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 13, 2017
DROGA5
ADWEEK

DROGA5

Using the fingers on just one hand, David Droga argues, you can count the number of agencies that possess a “strong soul.”

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
Ogily
ADWEEK

Ogily

When it comes to leadership changes, 2016 will be remembered as a time of disruption.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
The Myth of White Space
ADWEEK

The Myth of White Space

'Brands have to stand out in an obvious crowd—not stand alone in an unusual spot that no one cares about.'

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2016
Brand Phelps
ADWEEK

Brand Phelps

Can the greatest olympian in history be as dominant out of the pool as he was in it?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 12, 2016
Masters Of Their Domain
ADWEEK

Masters Of Their Domain

WHY DIGITAL BRANDS ARE KILLING IT IN ECOMMERCE. BY LAUREN JOHNSON

time-read
3 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Winners' Playbook
ADWEEK

Winners' Playbook

BRANDS OFTEN FIND THAT WHEN THEY AIM TO DO GOOD, THEY ALSO END UP DOING WELL. HERE ARE FOUR RULES TO KEEP IN MIND. BY DAN TYNAN

time-read
2 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Flipping The Disruption Script
ADWEEK

Flipping The Disruption Script

THE FORTUNE 500 SHOULDN’T REST ON THEIR LAURELS OF HAVING A FIRST-TO- MARKET ADVANTAGE.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 4, 2017
MCCann
ADWEEK

MCCann

All things old were new again in 2017 as McCann dominated the U.S. agency landscape with a string of wins and created the most-discussed campaign of the year in Fearless Girl. 

time-read
7 mins  |
December 4, 2017