Advertising Doesn't Work On Me Anymore

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	GUEST COLUMN

	March 24, 2009

Advertising Doesn't Work On Me Anymore
By: Paul MacFarlane

Aspirational, image-based advertising (what most of you are doing these days no matter the media) is dead, buried, rotted and is now fine maggot dust.

Why?

Because it was and always is a mere mask between the truth of a product or service experience and all of us.

I say us, because when we think we're "we" and they're "them" we are forever lost.

Agencies and marketers have always created and are still creating myths, masks and diversions, from licentious cigarette advertising to windswept autumnal roads in car ads, on and on and on.

So here are the sea changes I've noted and I think are most worth talking about and debating.

1) We are all performers now, there are no more audience members. From legion youtube uploaders to enthusiastic amazon reviewers, we are all active participants. Brands, take note. Agencies, get going. And keep reading. Fast forward ten years and guess what "ownership" of music, video and media files will mean.

2) Climate change. Like holocaust deniers, I just ignore naysayers about the changes in this planet and the need to do something-yesterday. We are faced with two choices, switch or cut. Switch products, habits, processes and behaviors. Or cut spending, travel, packaging, usage, output, energy, etc. This affects us, by not printing out e-mails, unplugging the computers each night and doing more iChat video conferencing than domestic flights as three easy examples. Marketers and agencies can be more responsible in ad creation and publishing, in the making and production of every tactic. We don't need "green" branding festivals where the amount of promotional material creates a landfill the size of a stadium in the name of capturing e-mail addresses. Use the web, make fewer but more powerful ideas and save so much waste.

3) Brands are no longer in control of their brands. Put my previous points together like this. On one hand, it is easier than ever to "look behind the label" and discover what a company is really all about-to expose greenwashing, outright lies or poor user experience and performance. And this discovery becomes instant publicity via twitter, digg, facebook and blogs. So as an example, skittles has realized most of my present points and chosen to let go of its control and surrender to user generated content but limit its liability via a serious release form on the home page. I think this is smart, because surrendering to the public can lead to increased trust and likability. In the near future, agencies will need internal or partnered legal online property and content managers to manage and direct this issue. For instance, at what point is a submitted online video a violation of copyright and trademarks, a liability for dangerous insinuations or activity; or a valuable free advertising tactic from the other side of the brand fence? See carrotmob for further radical inspiration.

4) Successful brands are simply companies that do what they say they do. And are seen doing it by enthusiasts. Cases in point: What is the brand image of EBay? It has none, it is simply a site for enthusiasts to buy and sell. No slogan or commercial can enhance the experience of an auction, a cunningly executed winning bid or the feeling of the biggest garage sale on the planet. And Amazon (though its name is surely most literal) is simply where book, music and other product enthusiasts contribute passionate reviews for free and buying takes place in this enthusiast's Xanadu, surrounded by ratings, reviews, suggestions and a community of experts on whatever you want to buy. Amazon simply makes it happen elegantly, reliably, cleanly as a friend. What's key is the actual experience, not an aspirational mask of image.

So, what is the way forward?

Creativity, innovation and beauty, same as ever. But from this day, innovate and create something worthwhile inside your clients and let the public in. Don't launch a sustainability scheme and ruin it by saying you're wonderful. Let NGOs and other groups discover the fact and let them sell or dissuade. Don't drop acid and create a Gatorade Holy G campaign to get people to accept high fructose corn syrup. Innovate the packaging towards sustainable, reusable solutions and sponsor elementary school athletics– save a sports program that's suffering due to tax revenue decreases, promote community and togetherness after a workout-support dropping the ear buds for real buds and a swig of the G as your muscles recover. Support keeping your car, mobile handset and computer longer and reward recyclers. Create messages of togetherness, social interaction vs isolation, promote cooperatives and neighborhood micro associations online. Be the brand (whatever it is) that unites people for a common good, not crowbarring a social site around your latest brand slogan.

Become and stay mobile, agile, global. Throw out the rules, connect to your birthright of creative passion. Forget that you're a marketing manager, creative director or intern. Remember you're a human being that has bills to pay, air to breathe, food to eat, a body to keep healthy and a mirror to look in. Then your work has a chance at being relevant and enormously effective in this day and age.

That's enough for now. If some of you follow my advice, then the effort is greatly beneficial. But no matter what, there is much to be done. I'm going back to it right now. More always on my blog. I feel the traction and momentum, do you?

paul macfarlane

professional human being

www.inspiredintelligence.com

http://professionalhumanbeing.blogspot.com/

www.the1101experiment.org

Comments

Add Your Comments

ATG (California)	on 10 Dec 2009 at 2:57 pm

The naysayers to whom you refer don't ignore anything. That's why their findings are more feasible than your "close your eyes and it will go away" attitude that you so righteously don. Of course you see climate change. The climate is changing. To say that we miniscule specks of pus on this earth have any power to do that is an arrogant and willfully uneducated utterance and; therefore, should not be iterated for others to witness.

Rupert (Arizona)	on 08 Sep 2009 at 2:16 pm

Good afternoon. You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what you do. Thank :( Rupert.

Kaveri (Kuwait)	on 08 Sep 2009 at 11:44 am

Good afternoon. I visited your web so many times and I do not know why I keep going back. I guess your drawing and writing are so good, they make me think about life. Your work is inspiring.

Vanessa (New York)	on 05 Sep 2009 at 5:13 am

Hi everyone. Zoo: An excellent place to study the habits of human beings. I am from Nauru and also am speaking English. Regards :-D Vanessa.

robhutti (St. Louis, MO)	on 01 Apr 2009 at 1:24 pm

I love the phrase, "support dropping the ear buds for real buds." Great use of language. Paul you echo some very smart people like Kevin Roberts from Saatchi&Saatchi in his book Lovemarks (http://www.lovemarks.com/), but bringing sustainability into the equation is also an interesting notion. The Architectural/Interior Design community have embraced it industry wide. And as such it has fundamentally changed how people perceive the home, office or commercial development experience. They also tout that the innovations in the LEED Certified front will also have an impact on the Bottom Line, financially. If we can bring that thinking to Advertising and Marketing, and thus to our clients, I can't wait to see where the industry and society are in 10 years. "Use the web, make fewer but more powerful ideas" Powerful ideas are always better.

luap (colorado)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 7:49 pm

Nice debates we have going on here. Change friendlies and change fearers. I'm reminded of this: we as humans didn't leave the 'stone age" behind because we ran out of stones. We found something better. I have seen the lack of snowfall and snowpack that provides vital drinking water in the Rockies with my own eyes. I've seen the greying, dying coral reefs in the Pacific near Costa Rica caused by the sea salt settling lower in oceans where temperatures are rising. You see, I see the climate change challenge as a huge creative opportunity to make this a more beautiful healthier world for you and for me.. What's to fear about change? It requires imagination, talent, ideas, passion and creativity--perfect! And I use "professional human being" because it is personally aspirational. Native Americans and Aborigines, Sufis and more call being a true human being the best a person can achieve. Titles like CEO, ECD, etc are boundary setting and status setters by comparison. And i wanted a title that kept me the same person at work that I am outside of work. And to those who doubt the very idea of aspirational, image-based advertising being dead, then prove me wrong. Send me your most successful work in the old approach and my next TZ column will be a mea culpa. Love the comments so far whatever they are.. .minds alive and creativity flowing.

Toni (Atlanta)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 4:26 pm

Interesting point-of-view. I believe, however, that these "performers" you speak of are mostly people just mimicking the marketing of professional, reality and online celebs. People are inundated with a never-ending analysis of pop culture references/preferences and it is really just marketing and PR ... still being marketed and sold to, just ever-changing outlets for their responses. I also think that people are enjoying being marketed and sold to more than they used to and more than they know. It makes them feel in touch with and close to others.

Kurt (Seattle)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 2:33 pm

A few things. Un-pro to use a horrific association to make a point. About marketing, no less. What's next, "Like NAMBLA members, I'm pushing a contentious point of view, and..." At least next time, make sure you capitalize the "h" in Holocaust. Anybody that calls themselves a "professional human being" needs a pretentious-check. His blog posts have 0 comments – not encouraging.

Stefan Pinto (Miami)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 2:13 pm

Hmmm, some plausible viewpoints. I don't disagree. But, I wonder how many of the naysayers are ad agency bees? And, Mo... huh?

Tammy	on 24 Mar 2009 at 2:03 pm

While Paul claims only to be a professional human being, he must have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night because his assertion about climate change seems to imply he's also a scientist. Or at least plays one on TV. Nice try. Advertising doesn't work and neither do claims based on opinion.

mo (Virginia)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 1:15 pm

cover your heads (and shut down your brains). here comes another load of green-tinted manure - or rather sutainable, biodegradable, organic, flatulence-accompanying-carbon-and-methane-footprint-crap! switch or cut? how bout this third choice - simply turn off your primping, \"green planet \" channel! bye bye lord pretentious Al Gore wanna be. slither back to the u and spread it around there.

Drew (Atlanta)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 12:54 pm

I believe you're missing two points when it comes to our evolving marketing and advertising approach these days. First, although the veil is more transparent these days regarding how a brand or marketing message can shield a product, many people are not as savvy at or are uninterested in the research required to dig deeper into the truths behind the curtain. Second, marketing is not progressing toward the bare bones of a product because there will always be the emotional aspect to these brands and products. Wind-swept autumnal roads, catchy jingles and flashy graphics will always have a place in "up-selling" a product.

Dale (Atlanta, Georgia)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 10:46 am

I particularly agree with your comments about successful brands doing what they say they will do. The web has just begun to tap its potential as a "fact-checker" and evaluator of claims....from social-networking word-of-mouth to sites devoted to evaluations. In many product areas, its already a mainstream activity to use online information in evaluating a brand. The next step will be an increase in the ability of people to evaluate the credibility and bias of the online sources. When this happens, there will be no hiding behind "image". This makes real insight into changing perceptions and needs drawn from market research more important than ever to remaining competitive.

ideaman1 (North Carolina)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 10:43 am

Ah. Another chagrined, successful member of the pack who has come down from the mount to spread enlightenment. Now if you'll excuse us, we'll all go back to work and find our way around in the real, dirty world of marketing now. Maybe when we have finished paying for our daily bread with the churlish cash, cranked out by creating the marketing for another product you deem useless, then perhaps we too will be able to glance at the heady vistas you describe so eloquently. Until then we'll put our heads down and realize we don't create art, we foster commerce. It's not noble, but it is a living. I have no idea why, but is diatribes like this that that becomes pablum for every MBA-earning Marketing Director so they can either denigrate the effectiveness of marketing entirely or to castigate creatives to be more "creative"—and in so doing produce work that gets the agency fired with a year.

Shana (New Orleans, LA)	on 24 Mar 2009 at 10:25 am

Awesome message. I love it and I'm all about it. I am a freelance designer and am looking for ways to brand myself and this is by far the best advice I have gotten. Thank you for your wisdom, there are blessings that come from so many places. Thank you Shana