Can Ad Agencies Pitch Big Brands on Transmedia?

Y&R's "Whole Egg" - ready to hatch after +30 years ?  

Today, more and more filmmakers are pitching projects with transmedia adaptations. In the current issue of Canadian Screenwriter Magazine, columnist Kelli Ann Benz writes,  “Now, when you come with your series idea, [funding agencies look at how] you are taking it digital too – engaging web sites, web series, computer games, alternative reality games, social media sites, blogging, geo caching, whatever!”

What about big-time brand marketers?  Transmedia adaptations seem a logical next step for big consumer brands with well-developed digital programs. The question is, can traditional ad-centric agencies pitch (and deliver) transmedia campaigns? After all, transmedia requires an interdisciplinary approach and talent from inside and outside the typical ad organization. Until now the territorial nature of the ad business has made such collaborations difficult to pull off.

In the 1970’s, Y&R’s chief Ed Ney introduced a visionary concept called “Whole Egg” – a blueprint for the one-stop super ad shop capable of integrating advertising services with other marketing specialties, such as direct marketing, public relations, sales promotion, and more.  Indeed, Y&R acquired a stable full of best-in class specialty firms like Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline, and Burson Marsteller, yet the spirit of “Whole Egg” was never fully realized. Perhaps it will be now. The digital age demands integrated thinking and resources, and Y&R (now part of WPP) has plenty to work with right in the family.