This past year saw some of the last major independent digital agencies snapped up by holding companies. AKQA finally sold to WPP, Publicis snapped up LBi, Aegis bought Roundarch, and the thirst for digital-specific shops among the big holding companies shows no signs of slowing. Last month, New York-based Rokkan announced it, too, is joining the Publicis network for an undisclosed fee.
A spokesperson for the agency said it hopes the sale will help it scale globally and open it up to clients that might not previously have considered it because of its size. It currently employs a staff of just 70 but said the network should help it scale and add capabilities more easily than it could as an indie.
It also said it hopes to remain as independent and autonomous as possible, post-acquisition, but the extent to which it’ll be able to retain its culture and philosophy remains to be seen. Its current management team and structure will remain intact.
Despite the continued consolidation of digital agencies, many argue this is the perfect time to be setting up shop outside the framework of a major holding company. Many clients, for example, claim they’re beginning to lean away from hiring a few major agencies, to hedging their bets on a wider range of smaller ones in search of true innovation.
The Media Kitchen’s Darren Herman, for example, argues that we are in “the early days of the rise of the independent agency” and that the next couple of years will be the perfect time to start a new one.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
He might be right, but as we begin 2013, it’s getting harder to think of any significant digital shops that are still going it alone.
More in Marketing
In the marketing world, anime is following in the footsteps of gaming
As marketers look to take advantage of anime’s entry into the zeitgeist, they might be wise to observe the parallels between the evolution of anime as a marketing channel and the ways brands have learned to better leverage gaming in recent years.
With the introduction of video ads and e-commerce, Roblox looks to attain platform status
Roblox is expanding into more areas than just ads in 2024. Much like platforms such as Amazon and Facebook have transcended their origins to evolve from their origins as online marketplaces and social media channels, Roblox is in the midst of a transformation into a platform for all elements of users’ virtual lives.
PepsiCo wants to remain a ‘driver of culture’ as it turns to influencers and activations amid rebrand
The soda-maker says it can translate cultural relevance into sales volume.
Ad position: web_bfu