Most if not all traditional Agencies outsource their tech, which everyone seems comfortable with. But more and more, digital agencies (and in particular digital agencies spawned from traditional advertsing agencies) are outsourcing their tech. The article which you can read here says that this is a good thing and I do agree with many of their points. For some development. Mobile for example can’t be done by traditional digital agencies and has to be outsourced.

But to be honest I would steer clear of any digital agency that outsources all or most of their digital production. What you have in this case is a consultant. Which is fine if the company is transparent about who they are and who is actually doing the work and supporting the devlopment post implementation.

At my work, Oliver Palmer, the co founder and Head of Innovation has been to India, and assessed options there, as well as Asia. From what I know Eastern Europe has great tech; but for what we do, keeping creative development an innovation in Australia is essential and not going to change anytime soon. 

Your tech guys need to be able to speak to the client or agency tech guys (through a controlled account and technical managment process of course . If you, as a client, are shielded from the source of the development then things just go wrong. Its like chatting up a girl through your friend and her friend. Things get mis-interpreted and you end up turning up at a wedding reception in full S&M gear expecting an orgy.

Not that I would know anything about what ‘full S&M gear’ actually is of course… um… now I sound prude! Do using the words “full S&M gear” make me sound sound prudish and inexperienced? I am sure they have a word for each element of S&M gear that I am unaware of. That ball thing for in your mouth that Marsellus Wallace wears at ‘Z’s friend’s place, what is that?…. Anyone?….. Beuller? (I did look it up on the deviants dictionary, but it wasn’t there. Oh well… at least I know what altocalciphilia is, and I am pleased to say I have it!)