Working in Siloes.

For a while now, marketers have been complaining that specialist agencies work in siloes and that comes in the way of developing and delivering an integrated product. No agency guy, to the best my knowledge, has tried to contest this contention.

Couple of days ago, when some of us were sitting and discussing the future of our business and which future we want to choose, Sujit Biswas made a comment which popped an instant lightbulb in my head.

Marketing companies are no less siloed! There was a time marketing, sales, NPD, research, media all worked together. Now, often, even while being part of the same company, they all fight for turf, budgets, and pride, as if that is the primary purpose of their employment. Interdepartmental fighting some times actually results in the Marketing guys shooting from the shoulders of an agency or a consultant to send a message to the Sales guys, where a beer in the evening might have done the trick.

So who should crib about siloes?