Digital is here to stay and the evolution of the agency is a certainty. Check out the six key predictions for 2008 here.

As we welcome in the new year and return to our places of work, many will have relaxed enough over the Christmas break to think a little about their long term futures. Across the U.K. there will be creatives and suits from both the 'traditional' and digital agency world wondering what on earth their own companies will look like by this time in 12 months.

Here are my own thoughts about what 2008 might hold for agencies and how they will inevitably evolve as a consequence of some major changes.

1. Entertainment beyond the television
Of course, TV will not die and will remain an extremely strong communication tool, but creative agencies will move from creating conventional commercials to forging entertainment 'experiences' that they film -- and which then can be used to encourage others to share. Highly entertaining content will need to apply to various channels as well as TV, which include online, mobile and street furniture. The notion of TV as a single entity will wither as creative teams strive to deliver entertaining work that is duplicitous across various channels.

2. The evolution of the purchasing of media
More and more clients in 2008 are going to demand that digital marketing spend is not only justified, but fully analysed and dissected to enhance value. The shift moves away from the traditional media agency beat of 'buying attention', to something more akin to better 'earning attention'. Analytics and statistical teams will begin to become fundamentally important to a media plan as a result.

3. Digital will encompass everything -- it's no longer a speciality!
The term 'digital agency' will become more and more irrelevant as all types of agency (including public relations, direct marketing and design) become fluent in all things 'digital'. Agencies from all walks of marketing communication will simply have to ensure fluency in digital, or face extinction. Being able to execute any campaign in 2008 will require a significant degree of competence in the digital arena.

4. The creative 'golden thread' will rise again!
As we begin to move away from the populist novelty of channeling campaigns into anything and everything digital, 2008 is going see a return to the importance of 'the big idea'. Agencies, no matter what their background, are going to be judged more and more on their ability to deliver that magic golden thread and get a message across with a seamless creative delivery. Simply delivering a campaign that includes digital innovations and 'ticks a box' will no longer be acceptable, as clients press to see far better integration from their communication and brand messages. Digital has to therefore sit perfectly with other forms of media for this seamless delivery.   

5. An all-encompassing method of creating great work
Whilst it's true that many agencies are proud they utilise the creative ideas of all staff from within their four walls, in 2008 we'll see a new creative dynamism emerge where planners will link up with creatives, who'll link with technology experts, who in turn will link with many outsourced partners -- to achieve the greater creative goal. As traditional lines are broken down and agencies alone struggle to tackle everything thrown at them by clients, many new partnerships will be formed and traditional rivalries could come crashing down in the most unlikely of places! Everyone will be welcome in the evolving creative development process as clients demand more in 2008.

6. A fresh thinking approach to staff
Agencies in the U.K. are faced with some pretty serious challenges at present when it comes to staffing. In the coming year, experienced and talented staff (buoyed by their own rarity), will no longer choose agencies based simply on the renumeration they're offering, but instead on a whole host of other incentives. Agencies will need to become more flexible in their approaches to working, as staff demand more time to be with their families, greater consideration for the work-life balance and more innovative ways to recognise and reward achievements. There will be a greater flexibility in the movement and placement of staff internationally, as the global networks grow even further. 

So there are my six key predictions for the coming year. And I didn't even mention the impact that Google's prospective foray into the world of mobile will undoubtedly have! Let’s leave that one for another time in the not-so-distant future.

Gavin Sutcliffe is editorial & content manager for iMedia Connection U.K.