Advertising is Dead

So proclaimed today’s Urban Junkies newsletter. It argues that not so long ago, advertisers had the power to make poor old consumers do anything, whether that was buy one soap powder over another or always aspire to owning new things. However, a whole new means of getting consumers to do what advertisers want has emerged:

“The buzz-words in advertising and marketing are ‘experiential’ and ‘guerilla’, and the latest antics prove the hard sell is ever evolving. Last week saw the rather sad site of students in London’s squares sitting on purple sofas holding brollies imploring us to get excited about thelondonpaper – as if?”

“Rather more generously, New Look hid shoes all around the city inviting you to visit the store and collect the other one. OK – if your taste is rather random and cheapskate. Then there’s new beauty brand Soap & Glory which has persuaded Boots make their logo pink, and will be accosting shoppers carrying the branded carriers (15 Sep), showering them with free gifts, including, if you’re very lucky, a grand’s worth of Boots vouchers, and that buys a lot of Nurofen – should all that hard sell give you a headache.”

Does this qualify as urban spam?