Are we dinosaurs?

By 22/05/2018

A few months ago, a television ad has internally provoked the API collective: it is the ad that compares the collective API with a dinosaur. In some cases some agents of the collective have complained publicly that this advertisement discredits the profession, which is misleading advertising or unfair competition.

And what do we think? Sincerely, we are not indifferent about it. Many readings can be made from the announcement message. For these companies it will mean a metaphor for evolution; for the API collective, a loss of prestige for the profession.

We look at it critically for both sides. On the one hand, we may not like the advertisement, but each company is free to do what it prefer and follow the communicative style that most suits its interests. On the other hand, the most important reflection should perhaps be done by the collective API: Why can we characterize ourselves this way? One have to be critical with the average level of our profession that it is very improvable in general. As in many collectives, there are better and worse companies, but it is a sector where is a free-for-all, without entry barriers, with short-term vision away from customers needs and where there are agents who enter to make fast money.

Don’t fool ourselves: things are like that and hence a certain characterization of the sector. But there are also companies that have been doing right for many years and are constantly trying to improve; companies that for years have implemented technological solutions in order to improve the customer experience; companies that nowadays are working with new service improvements and that, for many years, have struggled to have a better recognition of our profession, both socially and professionally.

In the end, if we do not constantly improve our companies we will lose some important opportunities. We hope that this will serve everyone as an incentive to improve, and time will tell if these online agencies have been the meteorite that extinguishes the dinosaurs, or not.

Immaculada Amat

Co-Counselor