And what’s sadder is that in a lot of cases, I think they are absolutely bloody right.
There’s a great quote about the success of the TV series, ‘Mad Men’.
Someone said the reason adfolk like it so much is because it represents an industry they’re dying to get into whereas the reality is one they’re desperate to get out of … and I think that has more than an element of truth about it … but as I’ve said in the past, I genuinely believe the industry of the 60’s was far more inventive and focused on effectiveness than much of what goes on today – where the pre-occupation seems to be more on the ‘quality of the film’ than the interesting and imaginative approach to drive active mass [and, as much as possible, quantifiable] interest.
Hey, I’m all for getting inspiration and involvement from outside influences but if adland is no longer seen by brands and people as the home for understanding and motivating society, then why the fuck do we think there’s a future for us?
I’ve been banging on about this for a long, long time – warning how a focus on selling ‘process’ rather than imagination and effectiveness will fuck up the whole industry, even if some clever agencies will prosper – and it’s coming home to roost, which is why adland has to stop focusing on it’s ego and delusion and start putting some quality back into its thinking and approach because the model adopted by so many cannot be sustained, and no amount of films, television shows or magazine articles will change that.
Fuck things like The Gruen Transfer – a program that I wholeheartedly believe does the industry more harm than good – let’s start proving our worth through our actions and behaviour, not just words and associations.