VIEWPOINT: How much longer until advertising eats itself?

<p>So Publicis has bought Saatchi & Saatchi. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>That should make for an interesting marriage, given the difference in </p><p>cultural styles that both agencies have. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>What is more interesting is the big picture. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Will advertising eat itself? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Watching all these mergers and buy-outs take place is like watching </p><p>someone play Pacman; you can almost hear a steady chomping sound as the </p><p>big swallow the small in pursuit of strengths and market advantages. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The pendulum appears to have swung completely in the other direction </p><p>from where it was less than a decade ago. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Back in the early '90s, it was all about spinning off creative hotshops, </p><p>DM boutiques, specialisation and so on. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Then came the mid to late '90s, and suddenly everyone was getting </p><p>excited about media independents, agencies starting organising and </p><p>having off their in-house media operations and everyone starting to </p><p>argue over whose way was the best. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Most of the buy-outs, mergers or alliances which are taking place today </p><p>aim to keep intact the individual personalities and styles of the agency </p><p>networks involved, pointing to how WPP manages to keep the identities of </p><p>JWT, O&M and all its other communications houses separate and </p><p>distinct. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Having said that, if the intention was to change nothing, then why </p><p>bother to buy at all? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Okay, perhaps the dominant network is hoping that some of the polish and </p><p>verve of its acquisition will rub off. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But in the end, what is it really all about? Someone must know the </p><p>truth, because to spend billions of dollars on a whim would just be too </p><p>hard to fathom. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Another thing to think about is that while the advertising industry is </p><p>busy buying itself over, many major clients are going in the opposite </p><p>direction and decentralising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Could this be just another phase that the world is going through? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Where will it take us all? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Where will it end? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Whatever the big picture turns out to be - let's hope it's not like a </p><p>Monet, which is exquisite when viewed from a distance, but when seen up </p><p>close it's just a mess - the journey is going to be an intriguing </p><p>one ... a magical mystery tour of sorts. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Someone predicted that the 21st century was going to be one hell of a </p><p>ride. Let's hope they're right. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>