One could argue, as I’m about to, that when the agency compensation system moved from commission to fees the equivalent of a slow moving meteorite was launched toward the advertising business. But because it was so slow at the time, real calamity felt like it was a zillion miles away so there wasn’t a sense of urgency to change things much. Staffing adjustments were made and things moved on as usual. In the years that followed, the meteor began to pick up steam. The media environment began to evolve making things harder to measure. Digital exploded on the scene. Pitches based on price wars began. Some clients went to zero-based budgeting. Consultancies decided the agency business was fair game. Tech companies like Google and Facebook have grown increasingly powerful. P&G pulled $100MM of digital spend and nothing happened. And most recently, WPP’s stock price plunged when they reported a slowdown in global ad spending. Slow no more, the meteor is now breaking earth’s atmosphere.