News Limited group marketing director and AANA chair, Joe Talcott has questioned whether Twitter and other social technology will make agencies and professional message makers obsolete.

In a presentation at The Cannes Lions Advertising Festival, Talcott prophesised to delegates that technology in advertising is risking traditional marketing roles and driving the need for new business models.

“Technology is changing at an ever-quickening pace and with it, the way people communicate with each other. This has major implications on advertising, marketing and media. But while these changes are massive, they are not unprecedented,” Talcott said.

During his seminar, Talcott spoke about the history of human communications and the four main implications of technology.

Talcott said that audiences are fragmented, sophisticated and cynical, and that the lines between content producers and content consumers are blurred. For the first time marketers are trying to connect with consumers who are individually and en masse connected with each other.

Talcott also indicated that there was hope for ‘traditional’ message makers in this new world.