Media agencies make mark as content creators

Thirty-second ads? Long-form reality TV? Just a few years ago, media shops would be the last place you'd think such projects would originate from. But as silos are slowly coming down within advertising agency walls, traditionally defined roles are changing. So if a media agency has a great creative idea for a TV commercial, and the talent and tools to pull it off, some clients are going for it. Ditto for other big, outta-the-box ideas.

"It really doesn't matter to us where the idea comes from or who champions that idea," said Joe Kuester, senior brand manager for consumer-goods marketer Kimberly-Clark, which teamed with Mindshare Entertainment on a series of Whoopi Goldberg-starring webisodes to promote its Poise brand. "If it's the strongest idea and we believe it meets the brand strategies and is aligned with consumer insights, that's what we are going to execute against." Late last year, MEC Entertainment, working with client Ikea, developed and produced a remodeling program for A&E called "Fix this Kitchen." The program, now renewed for a second run, combined celebrity chefs with a kitchen-makeover concept. The broader campaign included in-store appearances by the celebrity chefs, book signings, point-of-sale materials and a targeted direct-mail campaign. According to a Latitude Research study, 60% more people agreed that "Ikea offers high-quality materials" after seeing the show and two out of three viewers said they planed to visit Ikea when considering a kitchen renovation. The program also helped drive a 33% increase in Ikea's online "Kitchen Planning" tool.