Well, I braved the rain, the cold and the tightly packed rooms to make it through day one of SXSW Interactive. Of all of the panels and presentations I sat through today I think the most interesting of them all was a keynote from Robbie Whiting, Director of Creative Tech & Production, Duncan/Channon called “We Made This, and It’s Not an Ad.

We all know that the traditional agency model is constantly evolving however, with that, so will the work we put out. Yes, we are still ad agencies, and we still have to make ads, but what else can we do? Moving away from the standard media buys of the past; marketers and agencies are now creating products and services that consumers want. And with these new deliverables, agencies demand new roles.

So, what will be different about these new agency models? The emphasis will be on:

Managing less, making more. There will be less of an importance regarding timesheets and hours spent and in turn, more time for people to experiment and create.

Responding to change. Being agile in thought and action and moving away from standard compensation models.

Hiring makers and institutionalizing collaboration. Writers and art directors are not the only creatives at agencies anymore. The evolved agency employee will contribute to the creative process. Agencies will hire those with new skillsets and utilize their talents to make things.

Bottom line, change is a-comin’ and you better embrace it…or find a new career.