With what feels like the constant merging and consolidation of everything within the media industry, talk always seems centered on the efficiencies but never the consequences.

What do I mean by consequences? Whilst efficiencies through consolidation and automation drive short-term profit and promise long-term performance, the consequences can be seen in the continuing loss of human talent!

Ultimately, if efficiency is positioned as the practice of saving time and energy (like computing), then at what point will the industry no longer feel the need for human input?

The last year may have accelerated this path, but will computers ever have the same drive and ambition as humans do? Do they challenge, debate, or disagree?

Efficiency may be doing things right, but effectiveness is doing the right things at the right time and people tend to perform these tasks rather well.

I know that the agency of the future does not look anything like the agency of today, but what is a strategy without a core idea born from “people culture”?

We should all want to remain a people-first business. Controlling data, rather than ever wishing to be a servant to it.

So, I do hope that agencies, media owners and clients endeavour to keep the human talent pool high. Even those with grey (or even no) hair!

At least then, when the computer says no, someone will still be around to pull the plug out.

Duncan Collins

MD