3 Ways to Breakthrough in the Future

Brand Autopsy: Commercial Messages of the Future???

Interesting entry on the continuing quest for bridging the gap of effectivly reaching/connecting with people in their ever changing behavior, tastes and media consumption habits. Paraphrased here:

1. Get them where they work, not just where they live (Bob Flood, Publicis)
2. Let the advertisers become the producers/or product placement = the movie (Ty Montague, Weiden+Kennedy)
3. Stay simple so that single images you create become iconic and work everywhere (Michael Patti, Y&R)

It seems to me that 1 and 2 are already happening and are - depending on your POV - unfortunately inevitable. And that 3 should be happening now but few are brave enough, patient enough or instinctive enough to keep it interesting, relevant, constant, clear and simple.

Ads may be boring but Blogs aren't

Marketing Tom: Blogs as PR and Marketing tools

This blog entry from Tom
seemed really timely in the ongoing discussion Rich and I are having about advertising. Interesting - we were complaining about how most of the advertising we see is boring, not memorable, all the same. And then Rich said, you know the most interesting advertising I've seen lately is Blogs. I read em, they're different. They are often irreverent and and fresh. And whether they intend to or not they have a big influence on what I buy (just look at his personal site if you want to buy bike parts, head phones or other wierd electronic equipment. If that isn't doing what advertising media are supposed to I guess I don't what they are supposed to do anyway.

More on why broad reach is suffering

What's Your Brand Mantra?: Advertising Overload

See the previous entries on this (ABCs of big media buyers, more on lost youth) decline in the power of mass media. But we can all agree that their power is declining and that advertising is becoming less effective. Why though? This entry on Brand Mantra is really intriguing.

One simple view - or at least a contributing factor - is that ads are just too boring. They all look alike and they don't grab you with anything memorable...
"I am one who believes that one of the greatest dangers of advertising is not that of misleading people, but that of boring them to death."
- Leo Burnett
"People screen out a lot of commercials because they open with something dull ... When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire."
- David Ogilvy

Advertising is it that bad?

Church of the Customer: They said it: George Orwell

Liked this quote from George Orwell: "Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket."

But what about these:
"I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on."
- Jerry Della Famina
"Advertising is the greatest art form of the twentieth century."
- Marshall McLuhan
"Advertising is the life of trade."
- Calvin Coolidge
"Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything."
- David Ogilvy
Advertising is "[a] ten billion dollar a year misunderstanding with the public."
- Chester L. Posey, Senior V.P. & Creative Director, McCann Erickson

Conversation marketing

What is conversation marketing? | Conversation Marketing

Really like these principles for any type of marketing campaigns:
- Dress appropriately
- Sound smart
- Observe and adjust
- Make a connection
- Brag modestly

New/old ways to reach

Thinking by Peter Davidson: "Programming" Billboards

Here's another potential C answer to the ABC problem of reaching folks outside of broadcast. Follow you around with living advertising. New? No. It's just programmed billboards. Why not? Go to the Ginza in Tokyo and you'll see how cool it can be.

A local company, CashPoint, is also doing this at places like the GreatWallMall and at ATMs.