Many large brands have begun questioning the ability of their agencies of record to handle the rampant emergence of technology and new media resources.  This reaction is causing huge concern with marketers about what type of relationship they should have with their agencies going forward in the digital age.  Marketers are realizing that digital is a technologically driven sector and they need an alternative support group to help them achieve success in this new world.

Advertising agencies and marketing services companies provide critical roles from generating the next big ideas, developing creative and executing across traditional programming areas.  However, many brand managers are also relying on traditional agency partners to lead their digital initiatives and they’re not experiencing significant results.  Digital and social media is still very much considered “no man’s land” by most brand owners and they’re looking for alternative support units to emerge and navigate them through this territory.

This is what a brand told us when we asked what they’re looking for in a digital service partner:

“We wouldn't select an agency because they have a good idea for an application or quick hit campaign.  Nor would we trust an agency that tried to hide behind the smoke and mirrors of social media.  Finally, we wouldn't select an agency unless it brought together all the pieces needed for success -- media, development, community management, outreach, publicity, and reporting.  One-trick ponies won't cut it.  We would require a team that we could build an effective relationship with over a period of time -- one that we could trust to work with us to translate our strategic and tactical priorities into the specific social actions needed to add value.  We believe that digital and social media success isn't the product of "the big idea" -- it's the product of a solid strategy driven by a ton of good ideas, backed by a lot of real work by real people.”

It seems that marketers need an integration team possessing a hybrid of talent from the old world and the new…a consortium of innovators that work together to help marketers achieve a sustained brand advantage online and make digital marketing leadership a core competency inside their organization.

In the meantime, brands need to roll up their sleeves and own their digital strategy:

Until more digital/social marketing consulting groups come onto the scene, brands need to do a lot more of the work themselves, allowing their agencies to stay focused on what they do best.  Another contributor recently wrote about how Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, WordPress, blogs, email systems and a host of other tools are available for marketers to extend their brand and they need to use them directly.

Why build internally what other companies have spent millions of dollars building, tweaking and supporting?  And why have your agency build them?  Look at Facebook the same way you view outsourcing any other aspect of your business.  Facebook hosts it and deals with the IT and serving costs.  Brands should be making the decisions, listening to those channels and managing them directly.

Brandon Gutman is a Founding Partner of FOCi Group, a private task force of branding experts, technology developers and social media innovators working together to help marketers and their agencies.