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The proliferation of digital interfaces when we interact with brands offers a perfect metaphor for how the industry should be thinking about brands. Agencies of all stripes need to think about how they can integrate big-thinking experience designers into their creative and strategy offerings. Inspirations include startups such as Uber, whose brilliantly designed mobile app and fleet of friendly drivers, is taking the pain out of ordering and paying for car service in urban environments.

Experience Design practice uses nontraditional, interdisciplinary teams whose shape depend on the brand in question. "This hyper-bundled approach helps us disseminate experience design and other thinking throughout all kinds of projects."

A recent Association of National Advertisers study delivered a grim finding on how agencies get paid: "New methods of compensation like value-based remuneration that rewards performance have not taken hold globally. Only 4% [of respondents] reported utilizing them." That's a depressing stat. Now here's a ridiculous one from a 4A's study: Agencies bill mobile developers at a rate less than half what account-services directors receive. The compensation crisis has been on the industry's radar screen for years. The decline of the cushy, reliable 15% commission, coupled with the rise of procurement, has led to downward pressure on agency margins and widespread complaints about agencies losing their status as partners to become lowly vendors. Assuming we're not going to ditch the very flawed charging-for-time model, the fix is clear: a shift to performance-based compensation agreements that reward effectiveness and not time sheet completion. Underwear purveyor Jockey International and its ag

ency, TPN, offer an excellent model based on, as Jockey CMO-exec VP Dustin Cohn described it, "earned profits and payment on work output." Agency and client work together to determine the scope of work and metrics that determine the entire profit markup. Said Mr. Cohn: "Putting all of their profits on the line validates that the agency really believes in the client-brand and what they can do to move it forward." Steve Blamer, former big agency CEO and compensation consultant, said it's up to agencies to become honest about profit margins and income levels. "I'm astonished at how reluctant agencies are to provide transparency around their costs." At the same time, client marketers need to be willing to pony up for deserving work. And some are not.

Unfortunately for any would-be reformers, that annoyance is no license to quit putting on a show. "Anyone absent from the lineup will be noticed," he said. "They serve as a networking opportunity, are buzz-worthy and help develop more trustworthy relationships with the organization."

While networks try to outdo each other with celebrity appearance and stadium-worthy musical performances, only 4% called the presence of talent "extremely influential" on their decision to attend, their perception of a network or their ultimate investment. Some 42% rated talent "somewhat influential," while 38% called it "not very influential."

Research and data has become an important part of the mix at the upfronts, where networks and web publishers were eager to call out stats favoring their stories. But numbers can be manipulated any way the networks like, Mr. Flood said, and 72% of media buyers and advertisers found the research provided at the presentations only somewhat relevant to their decision making.

While big media conglomerates often emphasize the potential of their entire portfolio during negotiations, media buyers and advertisers care more about the power of individual networks, according to the research. Digital video was the hot topic this year, and on that front media executives agreed with sellers, with 75% saying they expected to increase spending in digital video over the next 12 months, compared to just 1% saying they expected to cut it.

The actual dollar amount going into the digital space is still small compared to TV, Mr. Cohen said. But there's no question money is coming out of broadcast TV, with 26% of respondents saying they plan to decrease the amount they spend on the Big Four networks. In comparison, 35% of those surveyed plan to spend more in cable TV this year.

In what's perhaps a bit of an anticlimax, buyers ultimately rated price as the most important factor. Some 82% of TV decision-makers and 76% of digital decision-makers said attractive pricing is the thing most likely to convince them to spend more. So, networks be warned: It doesn't matter if you have Jay-Z or Kanye West performing if your ads aren't an attractive value.

Overview  Some 35% of U.S. adults have software applications or “apps” on their phones, yet only 24% of adults use those apps. Many adults who have apps on their phones, particularly older adults, do not use them, and 11% of cell owners are not sure if their phone is equipped with apps.  Among cell phone owners, 29% have downloaded apps to their phone and 13% have paid to download apps.  “An apps culture is clearly emerging among some cell phone users, particularly men and young adults,” said Kristen Purcell, Associate Director for Research at the Pew Internet Project . “Still, it is clear that this is the early stage of adoption when many cell owners do not know what their phone can do. The apps market seems somewhat ahead of a majority of adult cell phone users.” “This is a pretty remarkable tech-adoption story, if you consider that there was no apps culture until two years ago,” said Roger Entner, co-author of the report and Senior Vice President and Head of Research and Insights for Telecom Practice at Nielsen. “Every metric we capture shows a widening embrace of all kinds of apps by a widening population. It’s too early to say what this will eventually amount to, but not too early to say that this is an important new part of the technology