Advertisers no longer seek Advertising Agencies.

An annual review of website traffic and search criteria submitted to leading online search and selection consultant AgencyFinder.com by registered advertisers shows that clients are more open to solutions from non-traditional marketing service providers than ever before. “If you look at the hundreds of search inquiries we’ve processed over the last 18 months, you see more and more clients willing to meet with the entire spectrum of marketing service firms — from integrated marketing firms to shops specializing in digital, social, experiential and other mediums,” explains AgencyFinder’s Chairman and CEO, Chuck Meyst.

“Over the years, ‘ad agency’ and ‘advertising agency’ have morphed to become marcom, integrated marketing communications, digital, interactive, experiential, shopper, crowd-sourcing, social media and more, all contributed by well-intended individuals seeking differentiation,” Meyst continued. “But clients (advertisers) regard those distinctions as services. Clearly there’s a difference between what giant corporations desire and what many small to mid-sized clients desire, but regardless of size, most suggest they’d like a marketing partner to provide whatever discipline is called for.”

“Advertisers want marketing partners to solve their marketing issues but don’t particularly care what a marketing firm calls itself. And that’s been our experience after 15 years and more than 10,000 pairings.”

Are we witnessing the demise of the term ad agency and the rise of marketing agency? According to AgencyFinder’s Meyst, the answer is probably “Who cares?”

To cut through the clutter, Meyst advises clients to become intimately familiar with today’s agency variants. Then both clients and agencies should seek to embrace powerful, proven business search services that match the needs of clients with the experience and services offered by agencies, using proprietary search engines and experienced hands-on staff consultants.

For more information at http://www.agencyfinder.com