There are a lot of “interactive” agencies out there. In fact, too many. What the world needs now is “integrative” agencies. Why?  Because the world of business we live in today is far too complex and inter-related to divide it into “interactive” and “non-interactive” or “off-line” and “on-line” or by differentiating something by putting an “e-” in front of it (e-commerce, e-publishing, e-detailing, etc.).

First of all, that term - interactive agency - is so 1999. Secondly, the answer to every problem is not always “interactive.”

First comes strategy. Then comes storytelling in a variety of means that reach who you want to reach, where and when you want to reach them. Yes, sometimes you need an immersive interactive experience. Or sometimes you may just need the perfect three words to describe what you do. Or maybe you need to think about your business in a completely different way in order to create more “wallet share” among your existing clients across all marketing channels. (more…)

If you study the history of technology you’ll see that the first wave of any technology is over-hyped but the second wave is always underestimated. And the second wave of the Web, or what we refer to as the pervasive Internet, has begun. This first wave/second wave model of technology has been proven time and time again, from the automobile to television to personal computers to cell phones to PDAs and now the Web.

You see, the inventors, the early adopters, and the PR firms all hype the “new thing” in the first wave to the point of unsustainable expectations and broken promises. Inevitably over time, disillusionment sets in (really bad disillusionment in the case of the “tech wreck” of 2000/2001). Things go quiet for a period of time - until the second wave starts building. Like a tsunami traveling across the ocean, unseen under the surface of the water, the growth of the second wave happens almost imperceptibly until suddenly it is bigger than anyone ever imagined it could be. (more…)

In April of 1991, Bob Cooper, a 29-year old copywriter with a Philadelphia marketing communications firm, quit his full-time job to start his own company. Over the summer, he built a business plan and raised a small round of private angel financing. His vision was to create a company that combined media with the interactive power of a personal computer. A few months later he hired a few former co-workers, his wife, and sister-in-law to launch the new business. In September of 1991 Frontier Media Group was born. The firm, based in Malvern, PA, became a pioneer in the development of high-impact multimedia for sales support, training, and entertainment for Fortune 500 firms. Over the next seven years, Frontier Media Group grew to become an internationally recognized firm, employing over 65 people with consistent profitability. (more…)

Motel
by Frontier Service Design

I call customer service. The automated system asks me to enter my 16 digit account number. "Please hold while we transfer you to the next available agent." In a few seconds, I am greeted by a live person who asks me, "Can I get your account number please?"

Grrrrr. What exactly did you do with the number I just gave your computer 10 seconds ago? I have NEVER had an experience where the live CSR actually had the account number transferred to them. Never.

Come on people, this is 2008. It’s called "systems integration."