“Full service” is ranking towards the top of this year’s list of marketing and PR buzzwords. But what does it actually mean? Communications companies must be careful of becoming a Jack of all trades, master of none. Instead, the key is integration: a curated combination of specialized disciplines working in harmony.

We spoke with leaders at the top integrated agencies about the benefit they provide to their clients from achieving this synchrony.

First things first: the crucial distinction between full service and what it means to be an integrated agency. Ed Starr, co-founder of experiential marketing agency BMF Media, warns CMOs and brand leaders to be wary of agencies that claim to be a one-stop shop. “A lot of times agencies say that, but it’s actually a fake it ‘til you make it scenario,” he says. “We’re not full service--we don’t do everything under the sun. We do two or three things, and we do them extraordinarily well. And I think that is the future of agencies.”


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It’s become increasingly apparent that the value, both in-house and for the client, lies in being a specialist rather than a generalist. “The risk you run in trying to know or do everything, is that you will never know or be able to do everything really well,” says Tracy Bussan, President of creative agency MKG. “There is also risk in spreading yourself too thin, which can lower the quality of service you’re providing to your clients. We believe the overall output is always best when specialists work as a team with one another.”

As industries and platforms collide, it’s especially important for agencies to focus on their areas of expertise. But as consumers don't consume in silos, teams of these various disciplines must also work together. “Full-service doesn’t always mean integrated,” adds Courtney Engel, SVP Activation, Talent & PR at global advertising and marketing agency Grey Group. “Yes, an agency might offer various practices, but until everyone is sitting at the table from the ideation stage, it isn’t the true definition of integration.”  


Grey Group

The teams behind these client projects must also represent the right combination of skills and strategy. “To make sure we're servicing brands effectively, our teams work in the most integrated way possible so that the entire customer experience is well thought through and seamless in delivery,” says Megan Rokosh, Communications Consultant at advertising and PR agency Havas.

Only when the right team is together can an agency truly offer clients access to their wide range of expertise across territories to help them to tell their story. “While we do cover a lot of services, we also have team members who are experts in each of those fields so depending on what the clients’ needs are we can tab into those where needed,” says Oliver Hicks, Founder of global production consultancy North 6 Group.


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The mix of talents and skills is parallel to the variety of channels brands are using to communicate with consumers. “In today's world, almost all projects have some overlap, that's the current customer experience,” continues Rokosh. "The key is to create an ecosystem for consumers that's seamless across each touchpoint and doesn't feel disjointed or silo'd.”

Activations don’t live in isolation, and how the audience engages with a brand isn’t limited to one channel, event or content--they all interconnect. “[We must] provide the connective tissue for these elements ensuring they work cohesively and have the necessary elements built in to amplify messages across all relevant channels,” shares Hicks.

Earlier this year, BMF Media acquired boutique lifestyle Public Relations firm LFB to do just that. “We want you to be able to go into a really thought out experience and share that experience because you’re truly connecting with a brand,” says Starr. “We needed to have the skill set in house to amplify that message…to enhance the BMF communications machine.”


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The benefits of integration to the client and the consumer are many, as are the benefits to agencies themselves. “There is also tremendous value...in cross-learning opportunities for our staff,” says Rokosh. “They work in integrated teams and therefore learn considerations and ways of thinking that are outside of what would be their traditional ‘scope.’”

Integrated agencies are providing a platform for their talent to explore their skill sets and get experience in areas they may not have tried otherwise. “We nurture our talent and provide a culture of growth and empowerment,” says Starr. By letting staff move disciplines across their main four pillars, to facilitating moves to offices in different cities, the agency ultimately fosters an environment where top talent can thrive.

This is becoming an industry-wide theme. Engel explains that, “because brands no longer live exclusively in one vertical from a consumer perspective, that needs to be reflected in your communications approach. Therefore, we as publicists need to have broad experience, insights and understanding across verticals.”