ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the archetypal form of the traditional advertising agency. Agencies matter. They are crucibles for change. Transitions within the structure and organisation of the advertising industry continue to shift definitions, practices and the boundaries of advertising with ramifications in consumer culture and experience. Analysis contextualises the transformation of the contemporary advertising agency in external contexts. These include globalisation, financialisation, new technologies, changing organisational structures within the industry itself, including holding companies and new agency forms. Competition from marketing technology and business consultancy firms contribute within an arena where the definition and practice of advertising undergoes rapid change. The shape and variety of agencies is a main focus and the chapter illustrates new forms of agency including in-house, crowd sourced and networked agencies.
