When Booz Allen Hamilton asked marketers which organizations would become more important to them by 2010, media companies, media planners and communications planners topped the list, with 52% believing they would be more integral. Ad agencies of record? Only 27% thought they would be more integral. -- Ad Age

So... right now a lot of folks are saying, "damn... media companies must be doing something right!"

Well... while I agree that media companies have evolved quite impressively over the last 5 years; and while I believe that media planners are perhaps the most under-appreciated people in the business; I have to point out that it's not quite that simple.

Ad Agencies in general are making a lot of the "ancillary" firms look really good these days. More than that... the failures of Ad Agencies over the last 10 years (yes... 10, not 5) has created incredible opportunity for what have traditionally been the fringe players.

And now there is blood in the water.

Do I blame the Media companies for being opportunistic? Hell no. Every Ad exec in the world would do the exact same thing if their places were reversed. It's the nature of the business. I mean... it's what all of us in Brand or in Digital or in Creative boutiques are doing (in our own quiet way) right now.

But be careful who you step upon on your climb up... folks in this biz have long memories.

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