Future prospects for media and advertising agencies
What challenges do communications service providers face? What are the foundations for successful collaboration with clients? A new research project at HSLU, in cooperation with ZHAW, BSW Leading Swiss Agencies, Mediamix, and Mediaschneider, aims to answer these questions and is asking agencies and clients for their help.
The communications industry is undergoing major changes. The relevance of social media and online communication has increased and is now an integral part of the communication mix. Measures that used to be considered below-the-line have long since ceased to be so. The tasks and responsibilities of media and advertising agencies have become more diverse and complex as a result of these new channels and opportunities. In addition, communication is becoming increasingly professionalized.
What do these changes mean for communication service providers? What will happen next? What will cooperation between agencies and clients look like in the future? Is the full-service agency a thing of the past? Will we only work with specialized agencies on a project-specific basis in future? What expectations do clients have of agencies?
A new research project by the Institute of Communication and Marketing (IKM) at the Lucerne School of Business in collaboration with the Center for Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law is addressing these questions. It is supported by the industry association BSW Leading Swiss Agencies, the media agencies Mediamix and Mediaschneider and the research institute MRC Research & Consulting. The main sponsor is the Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI, the federal government's innovation promotion agency. In particular, the study is dedicated to the challenges and foundations for the success of communication service providers in Switzerland. The aim is to determine which factors influence the cooperation between agencies and customers and on what customer satisfaction with the services of communication service providers depends. Based on a preliminary study, a model was developed that measures satisfaction and records the factors that determine it. The model should therefore also provide indications of how collaboration can be improved.
Agencies and customers wanted
In the next phase of the project, a comprehensive survey will be conducted in the communications industry. The researchers and partners of the study are calling on agency managers and agency clients (communication managers and marketing managers from both SMEs and large companies) to take part. As the reliability of the results increases with the number of participants, active participation is desirable. Based on the results, recommendations for action will be derived and prepared for the main implementation partners - for example for BSW training courses. Last but not least, the study results also serve as a mood barometer for communication service providers.
The survey - an online questionnaire that takes around 15 minutes to complete - consists of two main parts. The first part is specifically dedicated to the Swiss market and industry and is derived from practical experience. The second part covers service quality and, as it is based on a cross-industry standardized and internationally applied questionnaire, is comparable with other economic sectors and countries.
Potential participants will receive an invitation to take part in the survey. If you have any questions or are interested in the study, please contact the head of the project Anja Janoschka (Professor at the IKM of the Lucerne School of Business) and Cary Steinmann (Professor at the School of Management and Law, ZHAW) ([email protected]/cary.steinmann@ zhaw.ch). imp
