Yes, but it works.
It is here again.
It began with the oil crisis in the seventies. Investment in brand advertising went down and promotional advertising went up. Below-the-line agencies became big. It was the new thing. It was aggressive, idealess, boring and rude. The creative stars of those days, such as Leo Burnett, David Ogilvy and Bill Bernbach fought against it. Someone stated “Yelling isn’t selling”. But it had no effect because there was a crisis and the world was run by bean counters. These were golden days for the untalented. Mastering the techniques could get you some name in the industry. You’d say - your work looks like shit. And they’d say –- yes but it works. It didn’t last. When the economy picked up again, the promo-people had to invest in real talent, otherwise their promos would pass unnoticed.
Then came the Gulf crisis. Marlboro Friday. “The end of advertising as we know it.” Procter & Gamble would cut all budgets and invest in direct marketing. Because direct marketing was the new thing. One-to-one relationships. Back to reality. End of all that creative glamour, headlined the trade press. Direct marketing agencies became big. It was the new thing. It was aggressive, idealess, boring and rude. Consumers came up with stickers to put on their mail boxes “No advertising!”. But it had no effect, because the world was run by bean counters, and they loved the idea that show time was over. These were glory days if you knew how to write and how to put lay outs together but had no clue what an idea was. Ideas weren’t necessary. Idea-days were over. Make way for effectiveness. You may hate it, but it works. Mastering the techniques could get you some name in the industry. But it didn’t last. When the economy recovered, the bean counters were sent back to their desks, and companies came in the hands of charming inspiring people. Procter took their marketing directors to creative ego-boosting places on the French Riviera. To worship creativity. Soon, the direct marketing agencies were looking for talent too, to make the efforts of their clients stand out in the crowd.
Then terrorists flew planes into buildings and soon the trade press announced the end of advertising as we knew it. Event marketing was the new thing. Combining the best of promo, direct and creative excitement. You put up a big show and invite all your customers. Brand activation agencies became big. They were the new thing. No talent needed other than a good DJ and some very nice looking girls. Free the world from the ego-tripping, budget consuming pseudo stars of advertising. You’d say, there’s no idea in your party. They’d say, no but it works. Mastering the techniques of throwing a good party or running a symposium could get you some name in the industry. But after a while there were so many events, you needed a real, strong idea to keep people coming.
So here it is again. A new crisis. A new reason to be average.
The financial system collapsed and a huge red carpet was rolled out for a generation of bean counters like never seen before. The end of advertising as we know it, headlined the trade press. Things will never be the same. Companies will stop wasting money on dollar-consuming media and invest in the new thing. The Internet. Digital agencies became big. Make way for a new generation of creative talent. No more need for those megalomaniac productions. The future is online. And online, you don’t need ideas. Mastering the techniques can get you some name in the industry. You may say, this movie file on this new site you did, it really sucks. And they’ll say, yes, but it works. The client loves it. They’ll say you are so twenty century. Idea days are over. The days of traditional media are over. The thirty second commercial is dead. You’re dead. The bean counters love it. A website costs nothing compared to the media spending of the past. The marketing directors are a little bit less excited, because they'll miss their storyboard meetings. But in the end, their bean counting bosses are happy. The fact that business goes down is not a problem, because business goes down everywhere. Let us hope for them economy doesn’t recover again. Because if it does, in come those crazy people. The egos. The talented. The ones who know how to make a message stand out. The idea people.
It is an old wet dream of many people in the marketing and communications industry that they could build success without having to deal with the Wiedens, the Boguskys, the Hegartys and Vervroegens.
In my recent encounters with our industry’s young people - digital natives as the older people like to call them – I have discovered again the desire to stand out through talent. Not the talent to master new applications. The talent to shape story in a way that helps spread the news. They are not looking at the internet as a new medium. For them it is a new world. And in this new world, like in the old, there will be need for talented writers and talented art directors who have – on top of their craft and technique – ideas.
It looks like they are going to spoil the party for the average. Again.
