BrandsAmongMany

Take a look around. The sky is falling – at least in the advertising and creative services industries. According to AdAge, almost 19,000 jobs slashed in the U.S. in December alone. By their count, that brings the total number of abolished jobs to 65,000+ over the last year. No one is immune. Even the almighty Crispin cut about 7% (60 people), though they were apparently careful to maintain their creative staff. The same can’t be said for some of the bigger names here in NYC (a couple of close friends of mine were laid off from creative positions after 4.5 years at the same agency). If you’re looking to keep up with the agency layoff reports, @adagencylayoffs is a good place to start.

Overall, there’s no denying it. Things are BAD. But then…how surprised are we? We’ve been crying like Chicken Little for years now that things need to change in the industry - that there are the “get its” and “get nots”. As I stop and look around, it’s hit me that the moment of change just might be upon us. This recession/downturn/whatever might just prove to be the moment that marks the tipping point for the “traditional” model, the moment when big business begins to understand that this whole “internet thing” is not going away. Yeah, we’ve been saying it for years now, but in the face of true survival, perhaps things will begin to sink in…

Of course, many of you agencies will simply flounder until you embrace the change - you all say that you’re willing to change, but you actually have to, you know, change. It’ll be a race to the finish. Brands are already starting to see the value in these changes; they’re starting to understand that digital agencies can lead the way in idea generation and that “advertising” doesn’t have to actually be advertising. If agencies can keep up, they’ll survive. Otherwise…

It’ll be an interesting progression to watch. I’ll be keeping a close eye on things, and I’d love any further thoughts on where things are headed!

And, just for fun: