This post was originally published in French and in a slightly different format on the Infopresse website. 

There is no doubt that many things have changed in the advertising, communications and marketing industries. Adding to that are substantial evolutions in strategy, management, design and technology, which all contribute to a blurring of disciplinary frontiers. It is not surprising that the organizational silos so often described as obstacles to creation have become today less efficient than they ever were. 

In today's complex situations – unstable markets, moving targets, media fragmentation, fast technological evolution – clients and advertisers must face demands that their teams were not used to handling together. These new realities put pressure towards the flattening of structures and the laterality of communication channels. 

What used to be the sacred territory of marketing departments is now a cherished asset to developers of technological solutions. Inversely, technological platforms are almost entirely facing outwards, becoming privileged means of bilateral (and sometimes, multilateral) communication channels with end-customers. It is not surprising that these movements, in substance, create a newfound fraternity and collaboration opportunities between marketing and technology officers. 

Businesses that used to pay top dollars for national and international advertising campaigns for the products they manufactured are now turning to content production. The case of the Look Ahead initiative, an unusual partnership between General Electric and The Economist, constitutes one such win-win situation. The multinational publishes articles on the "industrial Internet" across the British publisher's website and platforms, taking a journalistic stance towards the technologies it develops and their competitive environment. 

It wasn't so long ago that the artists who accepted to grant their musical rights to commercial ventures were pejoratively designated as "sellouts". Over the last few years, many artists have become actual branding partners, not simply contributing a soundtrack to TV spots, but also a helping develop a real personality for the products, and even becoming brand ambassadors. 

Agencies such as R/GA are betting on the effervescence of new ideas that stems from the startup movement by establishing a business accelerator for connected devices startups. The company's Chief Growth Officer, Barry Wacksman, explains that there is no other choice than to explore alternative sources of revenue. The model which consists of billing hours for professional services simply isn't sustainable anymore. 

There is no doubt that, for traditional agencies, this realignment of the world considerably blurs the path ahead. But it simultaneously reveals an entire universe of new business opportunities. They may choose to take hold, and become the privileged agents of such new partnerships. This means that the many possible roads of tomorrow's success remain to be drawn by the actors of today. 

f. & co is attending Advertising Week in New York as social reporters for the Association des agences de publicité du Québec (AAPQ) and as part of the montréal.ad delegation. Follow our meanderings and trendspotting on Twitter at #RDVAdWeek and #AWX. Find all AdWeek-related posts on blog,fandco.ca here.