Anyone else notice

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  • shellie

    Agencies are buying each other out a lot lately and forming more one stop shop, full service ad firms?

    It's nutty. Finally clients are getting sick and tired of dealing with all these random boutiques. Small shops are dissapearing here in LA now. Is that happening everywhere?

    My guess is that everyone tried to be cheaper than going big agency. But, after a while they realized its not very profitable and, in a desperate attempt to make more money, quality began to drop. That can only fly for so long.

    Small shops that formed as a result of designers that broke off and started their own companies are tired now after 5-10 years and just want to be bought so they can retire young.

    I wonder what it'll all boil down to though for the next generation. It's sort of fun to roll around ideas of what will happen to the community in 5 years. Anyone?

  • digitalswarm0

    My company didn't buy anyone out, just hired more peeps.

    We cut trailers for feature films- all the major studios. Now we do home video spots and web work as well.

  • Rand0

    I like your profile pic

  • shellie0

    If your talking to me, rand, thats just about the nicest thing you've ever said to me -- and thanks. If not, thanks anyway.

    Trailer houses in Hollywood seem to be on the the buying spree lately -- or at least on the market it seems.

    Web and broadcast are merging together -- which makes total sense to me.

    Print, web, broadcast and online marketing = I want to work there, wherever it is. It'd be nice to have some fresh faces around the Ad Agency circle. I'm down for the change. After working at so many boutiques, i find it quite comfortable working for larger companies with lots of room to stretch the old legs and move around without having to quit your job completely. But, I love the high concept work boutiques get away with.

  • dinky0

    he is talking to me

  • lebowski0

    Big agencies will lose accounts to mid-sized agencies (AKQA) which will then grow into large "new media" agencies.

    The old school agencies are/will buy the boutiques. But since those all run on their founders, who won't put their hearts into it because selling out is a dream for them financially. They will probably bide their time until their service contracts run out. The transplanted agencies will lose their edge because they'll have to hire new people and and end up losing the dynamic that made them attractive in the first place.

    Big agencies will be screwed when they have to trim down and merge with the new media deals.

  • shellie0

    You're probably right.

  • jonnyquest0

    Are you talking about the creative domain/trailer park merger funded by lake capital? or did another design agency mege with someone else?

    The trend I see lately is the "jack of all trades" mentality designers being forced to do more and more outside of their expertise area. At some point you hit a wall. Not all designers can retouch/finish pieces and it's becoming painfully clear as the overall quality of pieces goes down because you have one person doing what use to take five. I am by no means a type-guru but what they do to type in this town is an outright travesty.

    Most of the money is at the concept stage though... Comping contracts for some titles can be insane. Then studio art directors so fall in love with the comp they don't want to deviate from it at all...

    I've had to mask back in elements from lo-rez comps because they like the way the comp feels...

    Entertainment design is just surreal in general.

    In the end all the talent at these mega agencies will get sick of working there and start there own agencies up... It's cyclical.

  • lebowski0

    with lots of room to stretch the legs and move around

    shellie
    (Apr 5 06, 17:14)

    let's do it