You’ve probably seen this hilarious spoof on marketing and advertising. If in Australia you may have seen The Gruen Transfer.
Here’s my truth in advertising:
Most people who work in advertising don’t understand advertising at all. They are too busy using other peoples money to impress themselves by making 30 second movies and highway art.
If you’ve ever worked in marketing you’ll know this truth.If you’ve ever seen who wins the advertising awards at Cannes, you’ll know this as well. It’s because most agencies don’t really understand marketing, which is the foundation of advertising. Advertising will only ever be part of marketing. Very rarely does an advertisement do what it’s designed to – Change behaviour, or heaven forbid persuade the audience to buy something.
So rather than explaining what advertising is, we’ll just let you know what it isn’t:
1. Advertising is not art
2. Advertising is not film
3. Advertising is not entertainment
4. Advertising is not about creativity
5. Advertising is not design
Advertising is not all the things most people believe it to be.
It may well ‘be’ the things mentioned above, but this can only ever be a bonus. If it is any of the things mentioned above at the expense of influencing behavior, people taking action or actually selling – then it fails as far as startup blog is concerned.
When your start up rocks enough to afford advertising remember this parable.
So true. I think people too many people in the industry lose sight of the actual purpose of advertising. Frustrated artists probably.
Frustrated artists or greedy bastards!!!
Seems we the view is shared!
Which is why some of us who get grouped into the category of Advertising are challenging the status quo and building new business models that use the foundations and principals of Marketing in all of our responses to briefs. I agree with all of the above which is why we don’t enter awards. Be careful not to generalise, not all of us fall into the above category. There are companies doing great work who’s only focus is on driving bottom line sales. At innovatio we are looking at ways we can have true skin in the game and work in true partnership with clients to drive real bottom results. The only way to do this is to work with senior decision makers in the business who align all marketing efforts with the CEO and business vision and objectives. The real truth in advertising is that Advertising as we know it has changed forever and the media landscape and technology has made traditional advertising far more accountable.
So true. Very good!