Meet The Disruptors: Jeff Tan, Managing Director of Product & Innovation | Dentsu Aegis Network

Where do you see more opportunities for disruption within your industry?Jeff Tan Headshot Dentsu.jpg

The biggest opportunity for disruption within our industry is in the agency business model. The current FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) based, procurement-driven process means that agencies are commoditized. This is leading to a slippery slope race to the bottom that will only hurt client creativity and innovation in the long run.

What would you define as a successful, disruptive partnership with an ad/marketing agency? Feel free to share specific examples, if possible.

The best client/agency relationships are those in which clients partner-with, pay-for and provide resources-to agencies in order to drive mutual success. “Partnering with” means working shoulder to shoulder, involving agencies on strategic initiatives vs. transactional briefings. “Paying for” means an understanding that ideas and thinking don’t come for free. “Providing resources” means empowering agencies to do their best work by sharing data and insights in order to continuously improve.

As technologies advance and influencers reign supreme, how are you finding new avenues to stand out in your industry?

It shouldn’t just be about standing out. Brands often fall for the temptation of embracing new technologies without considering whether there is an innate human need for it. When evaluating new innovations, our first step is to understand how this could shape the way we engage, we activate, we convert, we transact or we retain. Then, look to see whether there is an obvious behavioral insight that would lead to adoption. Otherwise, we’re just chasing a short-term headline.

*Please Note: All statements are the opinion of the author and may not necessarily represent the views of The ADVERTISING Club of New York.