From a blog post by Kevin Johns at B&T in Australia:

The dust has settled, and the biggest global media account of the year has moved. But news that Johnson & Johnson has set itself up with a strategic planning roster in the US must have sent a shockwave through the agency holding companies so great that it is probably still being felt today.

Surely it’s only a matter of time before the stronger strategic comms offerings in other regions start tapping the regional marketing chiefs of J&J on the shoulder and saying: “If it makes sense in the US, why not here?” Could the Omnicom, IPG and Aegis crowd soon find themselves implementing strategies dictated to them by independents?

It’s always interesting to see news from our little corner ripple out to the rest of the world.

The only quibble I have with the post comes from that last line quoted above: “dictated to them.” We’re not in a world where anyone — much less “the independents” — can afford to dictate anything. Because of fragmentation or channel proliferation or whatever other related buzz word you want to use, there will inevitably be more and more agencies at the table with a say in how to shape a brand’s communications. In this increasing din, it will be hard for dictators to be heard.

It’s a cliché, sure, but it’s true now more than ever: All us agency folk are going to have to work together. Collaboration is the name of the game now.