Worlds apart from my cosy co-working space in Dumbo, I headed uptown near Grand Central Station to the New York office of PHD. As a global media agency, I was set to pose my hypothesis to Vice President and Group Account Director Briony McCarthy, and to gather an agency perspective on my follies in startup land.

It’s true what they say about never knowing until you go. First minute down and I was already designing a new take on what I thought was a straight forward case of startup versus commercial brand.

Agencies are in a position to be the agile arm of brands

What I discovered was partly a confirmation of my hunch that new consumer behaviour is driving change in marketing communications, while shifting my focus from the role of the brand, to the role of the agency.

“Clients are organised differently, often in silos representing particular departments, and it is up to the agency to co-ordinate”

Agencies and clients differ in every market, arrangements and relationships are never carbon copies, and the US market is just another example of this. Media agencies are driven by multiple forces: the clients needs, the consumer needs, and the adaptability to communication channels and their publishers. Because of the constant pressures and demands, it is potentially the media agency that is in the position to be most adaptable, most agile and most innovative.

Placing the brand communications in the right place, at the right time to the right people is the name of the game. Yet according to Briony, the US market has a very particular kind of consumer:

“Brand Loyalty doesn’t exist, as such clients are more ready and willing to take the leap into engaging audiences via content and unique brand experiences”

The path to purchase is incredibly complex now. Consumers are not loyal anymore, they are intelligent and savvy- they know how to search for the best deal, and even pay with the best method that will give them greater savings or a higher return on investment. No brand can rely on simple banner ad or transit ad to get their share of mind, let alone wallet.

So how are PHD’s brands keeping up? Engagement. It’s all about engagement.

Defining engagement is beyond the simple click-through or impression- it has rapidly developed into viewability and the ability to continuously track consumers movement through an entire experience.

In plain terms, engagement is about a complete multi-platform, multi-device experience. Consumers might click on an ad, then browse through the website, then interact with the brand hashtag on social media and then potentially check out the store and make a purchase.

Damn right the path to purchase is incredibly complex now.

Building a campaign for engagement is an incredible process of strategy, insight and careful media channel selection.

“Having all channels with a unified strategic approach in order to be responsive, relevant and engaging to consumers. Equally tailoring experiences to the device — how it is used and how a person engages with that device greatly determines the success of a brand.”

We are a fragmented, mobile and picky bunch. There is no doubt that to reach us, you have to be responsive, relevant and engaging. From speaking with PHD there is no doubt that as an agency they are already on the move, pushing forward with digital technology innovations and acting as the agile platform on which their clients use to communicate more directly with consumers. They are the body that acts as the nimble element of the brand, connecting, and connecting fast, with consumers, while also testing and analysing the ways in which we consume media in order to pin point up and coming trends.