I do a lot of conceptual work lately about innovation and creative work processes within the media agency. It brought to my mind the distinction Aristotle made, and which seem to be forgotten. He divided the world into parts: the first in which things can't be other than they are and another in which things can be other that they are - a simple but very strong distinction. The first part is typified by the physical world in which a rock is a rock and can't be anything else. In this world, Aristotle's Analytics lays out a fabulous toolbox - rigorous, objective, quantitative analysis which goal is to establish and document the reality of the situation. This world is the most known and most of marketing communication is created within the "unchangeable reality", where the being consistent matters.
The other world, where things can be other than they are, is the world of people, of organizations and of cultures. For example, a bad communication strategy can be something else - a great communication strategy - if someone figures out how to turn it around. In this area analytics are inappropriate tool. Instead, Aristotle described the thinking tools: conversation, invention, and intention. Here our efforts aren't focused on the description of what is real but rather on the creation of something that does not currently exist, that must be first imagined.
Media agency must operate within those distinctions. We need to deliver both hard and soft facts. We need to provide our clients the rigorous and quantitative analysis, we can't run away from numbers and we still need to be kind of accountants for our clients and describe the reality by using the hard facts, ROI, reach, awareness, etc. But we can't stuck in that role, we need to evolve into the new type of media planners, into communication guides who take the clients, consumers and brands on the fascinating journey to the modern and fragmented world of plenty.
If media agency wants to keep up with the changes, embrace the media proliferation and get in touch with its most important client - human being - we have to understand and operate in the second of Aristotle worlds - the world where things can be changed via creativity and innovation. I know we people are not so fond of changes in general, we are afraid of losing control. For safety reasons we stick to routines. But if we, media planners want to stay in the game, we don't need to get the new fancy title. In order to stay in the game, we have to develop the new skills, be enthusiastic and curious. We must believe and dare to influence the world and make media plans and brands look different. It is worth it. It is a fantastic adventure.
