Martin Sorrell: How to bring Social Media to large agencies

Mar 30, 2011

Recently spoke with Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP (Disclosure: my ultimate boss), about how traditional advertising agencies can best incorporate social media.

While PR was the function of agencies that benefited most from social networks, social will play an integral role across all parts of agency work, including advertising and in-store retail.

For that reason, agencies need to break down silos: “Social media permeates everything. To restrict it to one discipline would be silly.”

Social media in Asia sits at the crossroads of Sorrell’s three obsessions: New markets, new media and research.

How can social media be incorporated into existing firms? Sorrell suggests building a social media practice into each aspect of the company – all the account groups, creative groups, and media groups – and then, if possible, graft on acquisitions.

Discussion

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View Comments for “Martin Sorrell: How to bring Social Media to large agencies”

Benn Glazier

Isn't this just another component of the true integration nirvana scenario that large agencies have been trying to do for many years, and in general failing?

Just look at that dirty word 'digital' - whatever it truly means, it's the same thing.
Simon Ashwin

And we're seeing this across Sir Martin Sorrells' (Disclosure:my ultimate boss too:) WPP Agencies in Asia. Whether it be PR related in Ogilvy, Media through GroupM (Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, Maxus) or Creative aspects via JWT or the like - everyone is helping clients embrace, execute, measure and enhance their social media engagements. These big agencies have created specialist social media departments that work across all accounts and media channels to provide integrated solutions.