Advertising about advertising. Social networks as communication supports for advertising agencies

Abstract

The nature of advertising activity brings with it a dedication focused on the advertiser, for whom advertising agencies define, plan and execute communication strategies at all levels. However, little has been said about how advertising agencies themselves work and profile their communication, in order to capture and get both customers and their brand positioning in the market. The communication of agencies has traditionally limited to obtain positioning and recognition in festivals and contests aimed at valuing their work, avoiding advertising in conventional media, so as not to come into conflict with their own customers. However, with the emergence of social networks and new digital media, the communication scenario has changed significantly and agencies have found a virtual space in which to work their communication, make self-advertising and work on their brand values. This work includes a descriptive analysis of the presence, use and situation of social media of Spanish advertising agencies associated with the Spanish Association of Advertising Communication Agencies (AEACP), which is complemented by a review of the content disseminated by them on social networks. The results indicate that agencies are looking for their presence on social networks, even though they are not yet exploiting all the possibilities offered by these media. In addition, a timid but existing process of change is detected based on the use of social networks as corporate supports for agencies.