Thumbing my way through the September issue of AdWeek… all the creative energy in the field has turned inward on itself to the extent that it is only creative in finding new ways to talk about the same things, over and over and over and over…
Take for example the Voice section of AdWeek and an Opinion piece titled “Intelligent Imagination”. Even though we are very clear on the virtues of meshing data science and creativity, it’s a popular topic amongst marketing wordsmiths. This version is complete with tips such as “facilitate brainstorming between intelligence and imagination functions” and “observe people, behavior and content while integrating marketing infrastructure to deliver 1:1 scale”. The full assault on the English language is as boundless as its infinite amalgamation with itself. BTW does that last one sound familiar? I wrote about this same nonsense back in March in “The Pen is Mightier Than the Tech” where the task of observing people, looking for patterns and intervening gets stretched and twisted into a tortuous pretzel of incomprehension.
I turn the page. Oh, this is interesting; something I’ve only heard about every day for the last 6 years – Branded Content is set to take over the world of marketing. Charts and graphs and cutesy pictures … Why they like it…he percentage of positive views as delineated by Generation…the main source of branded content (social and the web of course) and how those sources have different degrees of receptivity by Generation. “Align your content creation accordingly and keep it real” the survey lead advises. Amazing. Guess what, branded content is pretty simple to understand. Please stop putting it out there like it’s something revolutionary.
I turn the page. Time spent on Apps versus M-web. Riveting! Mobile reach. Facebook sessions. Graphs. Charts…
I …turn the page. It’s Marc Prichard fighting for truth, justice and Transparency in the digital space. I commend him, but something tells me that everyone else is on the band wagon. But hey, they’re all forming committees and creating strategic alliances with verification services, strengthening oversight of scoring systems AND giving Google/book “ultimatums or else!”. And just when they were making such headway, FB gets caught in a flat out lie, AGAIN… this time claiming it reaches more 25-34 year olds in the US than are in existence. Good luck with those standards gang.
I turn the page. “100 people that make advertising great”. It’s an eclectic group of superstars and innovators. Do they do this shameless self-promotional stuff in Law or, say, Teaching? “The top 50 defense attorneys the legal system adores” or “real life heroes of the Civil Service”. Not sure. But – One loves the way “access to technology and hardware has put content making in the hands of consumers; advertising in the hands of the people”. Another foresees the next big thing in “making online adverting that isn’t ugly”…another thinks it will be “empathy”. One guy is a “tech savvy storyteller!”. One is “excited to see AI emerge”. Another is “especially good at cutting grass”. Yet another is “freakishly good at doing tricks on a pogo stick”. I could go on, but I think you get the picture…
I – turn – the – page. “Why programmatic needs more transparency”. I could have sworn I’ve read this before. No, I haven’t. Wait, yes – I have… 6 MILLION other times.
I am hesitant…almost afraid, but I turn the page. OMG. This can’t be happening. I am stunned at what I see before me. It’s a small ad agency in Irvine Californian getting a shout-out in the Portrait section of AdWeek. An SVP and “Creative”, a co-founder and CEO, another SVP this time for Media, another president (but CSO), yet another co-founder (but CCO) and finally a COO. BTW, no creative person worth their weight labels themselves as such. Is Slash a “creative”? No – he is a guitar player. Was Salvador Dali a “creative”? No – he was a lunatic with a paint brush. Is Stephen King a “creative”? No – he is a lunatic with a keyboard. Actors, writers, musicians, directors, athletes, engineers are all just that. They do not refer to themselves as “creatives”. Speaking of musicians, the 6 dudes that make up this agency are posing like they are in an alternative rock band. Only one smiles ever so slightly. The others are hardcore. And the work is spellbinding. For Boost Mobile they have created a QR code (and ingeniously placed it out-of-home) that links to a game where users “team up with a character named Galactic Thunder Pony to battle the Evil Mobile Mega Corps and free customers from their current phone plans.” That is not something I made up. “We try to key in on who our target audience is and find the interests and passions that they have”, said the CSO.
I turn the page…
