The beginning of the end...

My latest Adweek column is up. In it, I basically ask whether the recent spate of layoffs in the agency world will be the tangible "tipping point" that forever changes/transforms the business.

In marketing they called it the just noticeable difference, the combination or culmination of a series of smaller events that, over time, presents a watershed moment. For fatties, it's the day your pants split or the chair breaks. For network television, it could have been the writers' strike. For advertising, it's arguably the embarrassment of layoffs.

Ultimately the advertising game will always come back to one word...and one word only: talent. And yet, it also sucks the most at managing it - attracting it; nurturing it; retaining it.

And then there's the exodus hangover. Do you really think all this talent will giddily flock back to cubicle city with open arms and an all-is-forgiven attitude? Where do you think the explosion of millennials is going to hang its hats (if it even wears hats anymore) and call home-an ad or media agency, or a new breed or brand of service provider?

Perhaps it is somewhat alarmist, but I honestly wonder whether the ad biz will be able to recover from this lethal shock to the system. On the flipside, it is possible that this could be a cathartic kick in the touches and this serves as a call-to-action to radically transform the industry.

Thoughts and arguments welcome...as are Retweets and podcast audio comments to +1 206 203-3255.