Marketing and advertising firms have been around since the early twentieth century and have been constantly evolving since, with more competition now than ever before. As they often play a fundamental role in most business strategies, a few, such as Publicis Groupe or Deloitte Digital have grown to have clients in dozens of countries, revenue in the tens of millions, consequently dominating the market. However, there is more than just heritage at play here. Publicis, for one, has proved to be remarkably adaptable to current trends to stay competitive, a vital contribution to its success in such a dynamic sector.

 

The communication and marketing world can be considered as a highly competitive space that is still growing. With the number of services constantly expanding, so are the number of businesses that require them. Furthermore, the field has to consistently update itself since the beginning of the digital marketing age, a pivotal point in the history of communication and advertising. On one hand, you have firms that specialise in a very niche part of the marketing, equipped to serve a particular demand and demographic of customer, yet are successful still as they have streamlined and optimised their means of operation. On the other, larger firms have the capacity to accommodate a larger variety of needs and strategies, which in turn allows them to diversify their clientele and ultimately grow throughout the sector.

 

Mentioned previously, the demand for larger firms such as Publicis Group to innovate and stay competitive has been immense. The constant expansion for the demands in the digital market have put this to the test, but in the case of Publicis, a test scored well on. Its success lays in the understanding the value of data and restructuring while still operating under the original, greatly successful, core values. By understanding these demands, other firms that are faced with the same challenges can see the same results. In addition to the corporate restructuring, their understanding that data is king has been massively influential too.

 

This need for production and marketing firms to be dynamic and adaptable can also be seen within the cinema industry. Taking Netflix for one, owes its success to a forward thinking transition from DVD rental to streaming ahead of competition. The relationship between marketing and data is also a component in the advertising and PR used for films or production company, and expands to previously mentioned communication firms that choose to take such clients on, whether it be some of the most successful ones like Publicis or smaller ones that specify in providing consult or marketing to film and production companies.

 

Ultimately, large communication firms that have been around for long enough to be at risk of becoming outdated in such a rapidly changing environment, can accredit their success to their ability to adapt to demands and trends. Media.Monks for example, a cutting edge advertising agency that set out with this in mind, has seen unprecedented growth and has become a thought leader in this sense for similar start-ups. This can be used as an example to smaller firms across the communication sector, or even those in other industries.

Laurent Zahut