Big, traditional agencies have been getting shellacked over the past few months from the big brands that fuel their huge, money burning engines. They'll get over it. Although it may not be cool to say, the big agencies don't deserve the bullying they've been getting. The problem is with the brands.

Put simply: Big brands are trashing big agencies on their interactive capabilities because big brands don't know what they want from interactive media. Big brands are in an interactive fog right now. When they snap out of it, they can trash talk all they want. But until they do maybe they should check their egos at the podium.

Before you dismiss this theory, let me back it up.

Author notes: John Gaffney is executive editor, publications, for 1to1 Media. Read full bio.