While social media is a key part of almost every agency’s offerings, a number of agencies are now launching separately branded and operated social media entities, according to DMNews.
Ahead of the curve is shopper marketing agency Mars Advertising, which created Collective Bias more than two years ago to tap the power of bloggers and social media influencers. The articles also makes note of Merkle Connect, Rally@Universal McCann and Havas Media Social.
I understand that agencies, like every business, need to sell their specialties to clients, and launching a division is one way to say, “we know what we’re doing” in this particular area. However, a separate division isn’t proof of anything, other than the agency’s ability to recreate itself. And given that social is about advancing community (for brands in this case), it’s hard for me to see why placing social in a silo is a good idea.