The Future of Advertising Is Beginning To Fade Into The Past.
Sad but true, our moment in the sun has begun the slow fade to black. In 2006 when P&Gs CEO, A.G. Lafley stated before the 4A's that the Marketing Business Model was "broken." There was a flurry of editorial interest in what comes next.
New age agencies like Anomaly and Mother got started. We initiated the Institute for Advanced Practices in Advertising. The technology companies like Google, Cisco and Microsoft got into the game with initiatives and aquisitions. Everybody had a new business process to brand or define. But when the dust settled the only thing that was new was the pile of press releases on the floor. Nothing substantial had evolved. Advertising was the same as it ever was. Only with less intellectual capital because the plus 30 guys have been dropped because of the strange belief that new blood yields new ideas.
So now the clients, who have been more than patient with our industry are starting to look elsewhere. Advertising had its opportunity to drag itself into C21 and blew it. But maybe not. What do you think can be done to make advertising more engaging to the audience and more meaningful to those who have a need to know what product or service can best fill their unmet wants needs and desires.
New age agencies like Anomaly and Mother got started. We initiated the Institute for Advanced Practices in Advertising. The technology companies like Google, Cisco and Microsoft got into the game with initiatives and aquisitions. Everybody had a new business process to brand or define. But when the dust settled the only thing that was new was the pile of press releases on the floor. Nothing substantial had evolved. Advertising was the same as it ever was. Only with less intellectual capital because the plus 30 guys have been dropped because of the strange belief that new blood yields new ideas.
So now the clients, who have been more than patient with our industry are starting to look elsewhere. Advertising had its opportunity to drag itself into C21 and blew it. But maybe not. What do you think can be done to make advertising more engaging to the audience and more meaningful to those who have a need to know what product or service can best fill their unmet wants needs and desires.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mary Baum on -
And I once heard that a certain mega-software company was a bad client, for only doing the figurative equivalent.
Why do your neighbors hate ad guys?
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Permalink Reply by Harry Webber on
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Because they live next door to one.
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Permalink Reply by J.S. Gilbert on
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floppy disks, cd's, dvd's, blue ray, thumb drives - they are all devices that carry messages. You can put something decent or crappy on any or all of them. Granted, floppy disks probbaly won't work too well, since I see so many computers these days that don't have floppy drives. And, most people don't seem to have Blue Ray drives yet, but I visit lots of places that seem to still have t.v.'s and radios and newspapers and I even (as odd as it may seem) catch a glimpse of someone reading a magazine now and again.
So, while everyone wants to announce that this is dead or something else is dead, it's far too easy to blame the lack of success of anythng on the medium or delivery device. Until we get to the point where televisions cease to ubiquitous, the medium of television is still quite viable.
Many of the ill prepared and poorly behaved "children" who rule much of advertising today seem to forget that Starkist Tuna still tastes good , whether the message is sky written, temproary tattooed on some curvacious beach babe's appendage or contained in a 30 second tv spot.
Is it tougher to get people to pay attention to your message? Hell yeah, but to dismiss entire genres that are still viable is simply a copout. Write a good message and it will work no matter the delivery system.
Maybe we just don't have enough places to put our messages.
I'm thinking of sliced bread that when placed in a toaster will toast a logo or brand on the bread or perhaps condoms with snappy little sayings like "After sex, nothing beats a Marlboro". Or is advertising ciggarettes on condoms against the law?
I'd worry a lot less about the "advertising" and more about the business as very few products or services are held in high esteem anymore. Customer service reps that provide anything but customer service and planned product obsolecense that can mean an item failing to work 31 days into its 30 day waranty.
When something simply "sucks", how is advertising supposed to fix that?
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Permalink Reply by Mary Baum on
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Well, JS, that's what I was starting to get at with my thoughts on the state of the CPG market. Parmesan cheese in a plastic grater is the most revolutionary product idea in the food biz in the 22 years I've been responsible for dinner for more than one?
And that just happened a year ago -- hardly a stellar showing for the folks with the big budgets.
Sure -- there's been cool stuff at the ethnic groceries, and we finally got Trader Joe's about four years ago. But the brands would consider those upstarts part of the problem instead of part of the solution. And they don't advertise the way we mean it. TJ sends a flyer -- a magalog -- twice a year. The ethnic grocers do nothing and call it word-of-mouth.
But essentially there's a huge mismatch between ad budgets and compelling product stories; the ones with the budgets don't seem to have the first ides how to develop a decent product. And the ones with the products have almost no money to market them.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Coupland on -
There has been so many valid points made in the posts here, which suffice to say in my opinion, is contributing to the state of flux in the industry.
Change in life is a constant and the internet has created a whole new dynamic..... I think it is worthwhile to contemplate the original subject post which aptly states that the future of advertising is beginning to fade into the past... damn straight it is.
Consider the following points and my future predictions based on present trends.
Google, Facebook, amazon, e-bay.... these have become household brand names in record time. Their market penetration and worlwide prominence wasn't made on the back of the traditional sense of advertising, I can't remember any radio, Tv ,print media or letterbox drop or telemarketing promotional ads except of course for the free newsworthy PR.
Major supermarket chains are now substituting branded products for their own home brand which offers quality and lower price points.
Technology firms are working on implementing smart ways for consumers to be able to automatically re-order staples and other commodities via their refrigerator which knows when they are running out of milk, laundry detergent etc etc... as a matter of fact present environmental messages of cutting back on greenhouse gas emmisssions and using the family car unecessarily will only reinforce this technology and it's uptake.
All of these scenarios I believe will impact on the global society, however, I believe it will be Brands especially Superbrands that will dominate the global advertising marketplace. As Mary pointed out, they have the financial and distributive clout to engage markets across what is now a much broader cross channel market.
Trends over recent decades have seen smaller independents gobbled up or overwhelmed by major conglomerates. The (mass market) customer wants price and so now you won't find dovetail carpentry finishes in your cupboard drawers and many other quality detail finishes across a significant range of industries... where do you think the term disposable society comes from... if it breaks down ,chuck it don't fix it, it's cheaper anyway.
Naturally this sort of world environment does create niche market opportunities which in turn will create their own Superbrand especially on the back of a recent coin of phrase known as THE LONG TAIL.
It is our job as stalwarts of this industry to see the future and develop the creatives for it. Traditional advertising aint going to go away, but it is splintering, fragmenting and diversifying as well as morphing into new areas with recent internet and digital technologies. Rest assured however, people will always want to be entertained and informed, though if you want to know the singular most powerful form of advertising on Earth, it would have to be WORD OF MOUTH... why don't you google it or buy a book about it on ebay or at amazon, maybe there's soomeone on facebook or myspace who could fill you in a bit about it.
regards,
Stephen Coupland
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Permalink Reply by Bill Sellers on -
huh? You lost me at hello...
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Permalink Reply by Bill Sellers on
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We discussed this article amongst the creatives here at our little agency. Got a little lost by the 14 pages of metaphorically speaking... And one thing kept coming to mind. A few years back I read an article that boldly stated the kids today have more than they ever have had, and want even more. How spoiled we have made them and how the new technologies and trends are going to be their ruin. so on and so forth... at the bottom it reads, reprinted from an article written by some guy in the 1800's. Basically stating, the sentiment of the population hasn't changed very much as everything in the article could have been written a few minutes ago. I think the woes of industry have always been there, just not as readily apparent. Name a time in history when ad men or women were looked upon favorably.
Basically, I am of the belief that a renaissance in advertising is called for. We really do have more than we need. But, if somehow, we can get back to the research aspect, and the experience and associative skills of old, then we might turn around the recent descent towards the industry some are seeing. So, what does that mean? Well, there are a ton of techniques for advertising that have long been forgotten. Why? Because we are trying to be TOO engaging. We are being creative for creative sake... contrived and unwilling to show the product or benefit til the 29th second. I just watched an ad that ran a full 60 with a girl leading a polar bear around a city... 58 secs worth. It was for a utility company.... WTF!!! Can you list for me the products that were advertised during the Super Bowl last year? As memorable as an ad may be, if folks don't have a recall of the product then it is a waste of good bandwidth.
You know, I used to teach design at a university in VA. I would always start by making sure the new students understood that they were becoming COMMERCIAL artists (old term I know) and that meant they would be working on consignment. If I, as a client, come to you and say paint this tea cup for me and you paint a bowl of apples, do you think you'd get paid. Without a proper understanding of the trade, and yes it used to be a trade, the young folks coming out of the 'ad schools' have no idea what it takes to sell something. They only know 'think outside of the X-Box'.
My 2 cynical cents.
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Bill,
There is nothing wrong with cynicism. The point is that advertising has always been the last bastion of the undereducated white guy. Now the world is a different place. Old school tie is not a sufficient criteria for being able to direct a client's advertising strategy. Our industry suffers from an over-abundence of arrogance. For example, Microsoft has a product disaster on it's hands with Vista. All Crispy Bogus can suggest is Gates and Seinfeld embarrassing everyone in this industry. We need an infusion of intelligence and we need it fast. The point of this post is that we have no future as an industry if we can't start earning our keep.
I certainly appriciate your grasp of the situation. Now how about your thoughts on what this renaissance in advertising will look, smell and taste like. Take your time. I'll wait right over here...Waiting...No hurry...La-de-da-de-da...Still waiting.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Sellers on
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Sorry, had a bunch O stuff in, AE walks in with another stupid question and I lost my train of thought... I will post later tonight.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Sellers on
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Alright, belly is full. Let's see if I can complete a thought.
Let me start by saying I will have to disagree in regards to always been the last bastion... I would say recently for the undereducated and in the past for the white guys.
That said, I'll get on with it.
A renaissance in advertising would not only encompass agency and creative, but also client and client interaction. This would be an endeavor of shear will. Let's take for instance your microsucks (soft) case. Crispy Bogus has for sure done an injustice to our profession. Not only for a royally stupid execution but for not getting them to fix the damn product. I read one of your posts on madisonavenew that you do advertising, but as you grow wiser the morality of it starts to come more into the equation. Maybe I am wrong but that's how I read it. I have always felt you can't sell what you don't believe in. Could just be me. Anywho, the point is, in my renaissance, the product would be of good quality or I wouldn't be creating for it. That is just one rung of the ladder on the client and agency sides. You know, we talk til we're blue in the face about building partnerships between client and agency, but what we really mean is give us your unproven magnetic water softner and we'll give you mediocre creative and a sh*tload of contrived copy and charge you a fortune for our time.
One more rung... Agency goes back to commission based billing. WTF are we thinking charging retainers like we are lawyers and then wonder why we are disdained. We brought that one on ourselves. On CBB we succeed when the client does. It's really very simple. Incentive to produce the best strategies and creative we possibly can to ensure a successful client. Certain items still get billed by the hour but mainly commission based profits ensue.
Up and up we go... the role of account executive needs to follow the rule J. Walter Thompson set AEs back in the day... the relationship between agency and client is handled by the AE. The AE is the one sitting on the fence, yelling across to the client advocacy of the agency, yelling across to the agency in advocacy of the client. Too often now days, the AE has fallen off and is solely on the client side in fear of loosing them. So, they waste much energy trying to climb the fence so they can yell back across to the agency. This is one instance of your undereducated white guy. Which he could red, green or blue as well. Not saying they have not been schooled, just not in the position they hold. Not industry wide mind you, but enough to warrant the observation. If you take these folks coming out of a business school with marketing degree, it does not necessarily mean they are qualified to be an account exec. or even a junior for that matter. Without a proper mentor, they will never get quite understand the role and perpetuate incorrect knowledge.
One more and that's all got for tonight, too much Rum for one evening. On the client side.... the education of a client could instill trust. We waste too much time expecting that the folks in the marketing department understand their role. Ogilvy said 'Why hire a dog then bark yourself?' In my mind, a perfect statement. From across the table we hear more often than not, "well, you guys are the experts, BUT why don't we think more about this or that..." Again, possibly we are to blame for this as well. We try and try to position and differentiate ourselves so we can claim to be experts in this or that industry or vertical or whatever... and who do we send to the round table? The 24 year old AE in waiting with an obscure title like Account Evangelist or some other stupid sh*t. And a 23 year old art director fresh out of Art Institute of Anywhere. So, here is a 30 something client side marketing rockstar, and the 50 something COO that built this billion dollar company with a set of 4 divorces. Now, remember you've told this cat we're experts when selling him in, but now we've him a Junior, at best, team to work w
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Good Morning Bill,
I bet my hangover can beat your hangover. Feel free to disagree with anything you read under my flag. But I offer this in rebuttal. Undereducated is why we have an $800 billion dollar "industry" with no hint of best practices and zero instances of R&D activity to move us forward. Pitiful. As for the whiteguy part, look around. This is the only business in America that has it's hometown city (New York) holding hearings on its hiring practices in the years 1968, 1975, 1988, and 2007 and recording little or no change in 40 YEARS!!! Disgraceful. And just this past August
they held another set of hearings which were advertised in Advertising Age and only
FOUR representatives from the agencies bothered to show up. Not exactly in the past Bill.
But moving on.
I agree whole-heartedly with your statement that, "This would be an endeavor of shear will." We work in a business that would rather die than change. We work with people in our agencies and at our clients that would rather laugh than think. There is no will power to weed us off the 30 second "crack" of network television towards something that might actually engage the audience. TV is too much fun. TV is too damn profitable. Hell, TV makes us believe we are somehow in the entertainment business. And we can tell Jerry Seinfeld, "Eh, Jerry,baby. Could we have that take one more time. But this time could you give us just a little less "schtick."
"In my renaissance, the product would be of good quality or I wouldn't be creating for it." This professional integrity thing could be a problem. We might have to repopulate the intire advertising business from the ground up for that one. Me personally, I'm a "Liar for Hire." I would have to be reprocessed and reprogrammed to turn away good money from clients with bad products. But I agree wholeheartedly that this would have to be the bed rock of any true sea change in this business. Just to get back to the point of the audience trusting anything we had to say. A definite keeper and candidate for Holy Grail status.
The whole compensation thing is a non-starter for me. If we import the Hollywood accounting system of profit participation into advertising we better be ready to go broke waiting to get paid. I agree that something needs to replace the retainer but then something of value needs to replace what we intend to charge our clients for. That damn sure ain't what we are providing now.
As for account guys (both male and female) I think that job only has one purpose. keep those crazy creatives out of the client's face and make the client your new best friend. Relationship people exist in every business. They are called Salesmen. And that's what they should be called in this business. The "Account Management' function is best run by an intelligent machine that takes the interests of both parties
and lets them know when things are not proceeding as per contract. "Transparancy Managers" would probably be a more accurate job title.
"We try and try to position and differentiate ourselves so we can claim to be experts in this or that industry or vertical or whatever... and who do we send to the round table?" Rum or no rum, you hit that nail firmly in the face. I work for a lot of clients as the guy who sits next to "The Guy" whispering in his ear or writing in big letter on a yellow pad. "Don't believe a word this woman says." Or, "This dog won't hunt." Or my all time favorite, " Next." The underbaked idiots that agencies put in front of their clients are a disgrace to the practice of business, let alone advertising. People used to be an agency's greatest asset. Now, for the most part, they are an absolute liability. And the undereducated white, red,green or blue guys at the top don't have a clue.
There's some great stuff in the bottom of that Rum glass Bill. Why don't you get a refill and come on over to the IAPIA work group and help us with some of the heavy lifting neccessary to reinvent this bootyass business model before it's to late.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Sellers on
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OK, I get where your coming from with the undereducated. You are speaking of an industry as a whole, I was speaking from an aspect of the young guns that think because they know who Lubalin is it makes an asset to my team. I am solely a strategic thinker, by nature... I am INTP. Anyway, I agree fully with the 'no hint of best practices and zero instances of R&D.' Research used to be cornerstone at most of the agency I worked for. Now, you can say research but mostly it is dribble from TNS. What happened to getting out on the street and finding out what's happening. I could care less (well sometimes) what a competitor is spending. This tells me nothing about segments and behaviors of a market ready to be swooned. OK, so I agree. More research, not only for the client's sake but r&d for our business as well. To move us forward (as you said).
Now as for the color theory, I speak from my own beliefs, probably not the best gauge of the industry mind you. But the University I used to teach at was Hampton University, and I personally, in my short time there, sent 40 or so talented young black designers out into the world. About 60% went on to Cranbrook, Parsons, New School etc. for Masters. The few I have heard from all hold positions in the industry. Some as CDs, ADs, IDs and so on. Is it an equal playing field industry wide? Probably not, but on my watch it's all about the book first, then drive and willingness to learn. The rest is irrelevant. To me...
What's IAPIA? Is that the madisonavenew?
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