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There has been a lot of talk about social media and how it’s wreaking havoc on the agency world. What I mean is that unlike traditional advertising and PR, social media doesn’t have defined lines of ownership. The Miami Herald writer Clifford M. Marks summed it up best in his article on August 10:

“For decades, the division of labor was clear. Madison Avenue types took care of the 30-second spots, the billboards and the full-page ad in Sunday’s paper. Their cousins in public relations drafted press releases, networked with reporters to land favorable coverage and helped handle crises that drew negative media attention. But where in this tidy arrangement does Facebook fall? Or YouTube? Or Twitter? Both groups are rushing to answer that question, and with all the more urgency as their clients seek to slash marketing budgets.”

Here’s how we handle it at S&B. Because our shop is fully integrated, we’re tactic neutral. We recommend the best media strategies to achieve each client’s objectives. When the best strategy calls for social media, we execute the best tactics to achieve success—from Facebook fan pages and Twitter postings, to YouTube video and more—without any infighting within the agency. Teams from public relations, advertising and interactive are involved in strategy sessions, so there is shared responsibility for social media initiatives.

That’s the beauty of working with a mid-size, full-service agency . There are no advertising vs. PR vs. interactive turf wars. And, since we’re independent and don’t have to contribute high income returns to a parent company to justify our existence, we give our clients maximum bang for their buck at a time when bucks are scarce.

The Miami Herald article also points out that faced with declining client budgets, agencies are either downsizing or investing. S&B has taken the investment route. We have an onsite technical programming partner that helps us deliver timely and affordable Web development –microsites, e-commerce, Web positioning, online advertising, and more. We’re outsourcing less which not only helps our bottom line, but rewards our clients with fully integrated strategy and efficiency.

Social media is just another tactic. It too will be considered “traditional” in the not-too-distant future. That’s how we address the skeptics –and yes, there are still a few out there. Social media is just another targeted way to reach an audience segment; strategy is what matters and gets results. S&B’s Chief Customer Officer platform delves deep into research to pinpoint the most effective strategy to reach customers, whether it’s an online promotion, magazine editorial, or keyword search.

So let the advertising-only shops duke it out with the PR-only shops with the Web-development-only shops. We’ve been integrated for more than 50 years and our clients like that just fine.

-Kristina