He basically identified 6 criteria that can let a client know if an ad agency is for real when they say they do digital:

• They have a track record of active participation in digital conferences (such as SXSW, OMMA, and Ad:Tech)
• They have director-level or higher technology leader on staff (not an IT guy)
• They have full-time, in-house development resources (front-end and back-end developers on staff, not outsourced)
• They have digital-only clients or large Website development projects under their belt
• In addition to Account Planners, they have the digital equivalent, such as User Experience leads
• They have analytics staff (dedicated) and have invested in marketing analytics software tools

I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Wiener’s assessment, and would take it a step further. True digital advertising capabilities require:

• In-house digital creative production capabilities (e.g. Flash programmers)
• Information Architecture and/or Content Strategy disciplines within their agency
• Client social media program expertise (concepting, developing and managing social media initiatives for clients) – and no, creating a Facebook page doesn’t cut it.

I could make a longer, more detailed list of capabilities I feel are critical to truly be digital, but I think these cover it broadly.

I figured this would happen. Our industry, although no one would ever admit it, is all about following the leader and the latest cool new trend. In the case of agency Web sites, that cool new trend was started by Modernista’s uber-social Web site concept, and then solidified by Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s beta site. Now everyone is ditching Flash for a crazy WordPress template or a pimped out Twitter feed.

As my mom always used to say “todos los extremos son malos” / “all things in excess are bad.” I hope decision-makers and creatives at agencies around the world think about this before greenlighting their new Facebook Fan Page only Web site or Wikipedia sandbox site.

Remember to balance and prioritize all the things your Web site needs to do. Although showing off your social media chops might seem like the end-all-be-all right now, don’t forget that your Web site needs to give prospective clients, employees, etc. basic information about what you do, who you do it for, and where to send RFPs! Sometimes, a Ning social network is not the best vehicle to accomlish some of those very basic requirements.

Jose Villa