Nike Embraces the Creative Zest of Digital Boutiques

Over the last few weeks, articles in Advertising Age and the Wall Street Journal have caused a huge wake-up call to the large traditional agencies. Nike recently shocked the advertising world by announcing that it was going to expand its creative agency roster and shop its running shoe account. Although their long-time agency, Wieden and Kennedy, responsible for the Just Do It! brand, will keep a large part of the work, they are not even involved in pitching the digital assignments up for grabs. Nike's executives give reasons, such as dissatisfaction with the agency's abilities in the digital arena, for opening its arms to small digital boutique firms. Nike, already on top of the digital marketing game, seeks fresh, ahead of the curve ideas typically not found in the polished and corporate big agency realm. For example, Nike has been working with a small boutique agency to do print and interactive work on Brand Jordan for the last two years. This small boutique agency has been handling this brand because it has the ability to incorporate digital components as part of the core of the campaign. Traditionally, print, television and radio have always dictated the campaign with online marketing following as an afterthought. Due to the large success of their interactive campaigns, Nike now believes digital strategy should be at the heart of ad strategy.Recent actions such as Nike's illustrate a huge shift in the advertising world. As Nike searches for agencies that have interactive and Web 2.0 specialties, other large brand names are following. If large, historically traditional agencies don't follow suit, they will be left behind. And as Web 2.0 continues its ever evolving path, the once giants will have even more catch-up to play. Another interesting appeal to surface from Nike's quest for fresh interactive ideas is the small agency's ability to be flexible and agile in the ever changing interactive world another quality rare in the large, retainer-driven agencies. It makes sense that smaller, interactive agencies have the ability to adapt to quickly changing projects due to the nature of the medium in which they work; a medium where the technology and the virtual world are at a constant state of flux. Fresh and Flexible. How can you go wrong? The effectiveness of small agencies is not just their ability to understand new technologies, but also their style of marketing. Traditional advertising is about large agencies producing polished corporate messages for large corporations. However, this type of macro branding no longer connects with real people. Many smaller agencies do a better job being grittier and connecting with real people. We are in the age of micro branding where people seek personal customer experiences built on honesty. Many traditional agencies have become so well versed at putting the client “in the best light”–despite the reality–that they are blind as to how to have authentic conversations with consumers. Coming from two large agencies, I completely identify with the reasons above. And now being at a small boutique firm, I realize how much more innovative and creative I am allowed to be. Working on several large national retainer accounts, my role as an account manager became one that was more of taking orders instead of proactively offering marketing solutions to my client's issues. And the rare times that I was able to offer something out of the normal retainer mold, the projects usually never came to fruition because it would take too long or there was too much red tape to work around. Being at a large agency does not allow for one to go too far outside of their defined role compared to being at a small one, where you play every role. I think these key differences are clearly apparent in the product produced by each. I guess it has become apparent now to others outside of the large agency world that sometimes maybe the Davids of the interactive world are the ones to turn to if you want new, edgy and creative ideas with the flexibility to get them executed. To the execs at Nike, check us out at www.leveltendesign.com. 1) On Madison Avenue, A Digital Wake Up Call by Suzanne Vranica. Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2007.