Here at PBworks, we’re focused on solving specific business problems for specific markets. We believe that’s the best way to deliver value for our customers. That’s why we’ve created specific products for educators, law firms, and CRM. And that’s why we’ve just launched PBworks Agency Edition.
Over the past year, we’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the biggest names in the agency world, like Landor Associates and the BtoD Group (a part of WPP, the world’s largest advertising holding company). As we’ve worked with them to integrate PBworks into their workflow, we’ve learned a lot about this fascinating market.
It turns out that agencies are inherently collaborative. To get a TV commercial or print ad from idea to your living room takes an army of different people, ranging from creative directors to designers and copywriters (not to mention the client). And historically, all this coordination was done via email and telephone. If Mad Men were more like real life, Don would spend a lot more time herding cats…and the show would be a lot less interesting.
The industry is also undergoing some major changes that are increasing the need for collaboration.
Media fragmentation–adding digital, social, and mobile to print, TV, and radio–makes it nearly impossible for a single agency to handle all aspects of any major campaign. As a result, cross-agency collaboration has quickly become one of *the* hot topics in the industry.
Globalization is driving a much greater need for online and asychronous tools. Even if a major campaign gets kicked off at HQ, it needs to be localized across six continents by local offices–and no one wants to get up at 4 AM to call Hong Kong.
Rapid personnel turnover makes it ever more important to find ways to capture the knowledge of each agency’s people. Unless their name is above the door, you can’t count on any particular person staying at their current agency.
Finally, innovation is the Holy Grail. Consumers are jaded and cynical, and it takes bold new campaigns to break through that armor. To get that innovation, agencies need to be able to tap the talents of their entire team via social collaboration.
We’ve taken these concerns into account, along with agency-specific needs like managing complex customer relationships, and sharing in-progress video in a more secure environment, and created PBworks Agency Edition.
Agency Edition is a beginning, not an end. As we continue to work with our customers, we’ll continue to deliver innovative new features to meet their needs.
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