There’s something about the isolation and arrogance of the Bay Area tech community that makes us cringe whenever the geek-folks open their gobs. There’s a depressing video featured on the Business 2.0 site of a panel of San Francisco web 2.0 entrepreneurs discuss the future of advertising.
Apparently on the West Coast, the world hates advertising. The panel suggests that the solution for the industry is that consumers need to make the ads in the future…
Come on: No one cares about any company to really want to make their ads. Sure, we’re witnessing some consumer generated advertising right now but anyone who builds a business that hopes their users will make the ads that support their business is doomed. Consumer generated advertising is a short term fad created by the vast gap that has developed between the traditional ad agency abilities and the dynamic content style and type available to users. If no one really cares about your brand, why would they mmake your ad?
In the short to medium term, it’s up to the media owners to provide a creative service to help brands connect consumers. Ad agencies will catch up eventually.
Just a POV.
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What is so funny about these people… And I’ve worked with a ton of them… Is that they live in their own world. They speak their own geeky language. They are as divorced from reality as many of the people in advertising. But as I said at this weeks PSFK Conference, everyone is an expert at three things. Driving a car. Making love… Advertising. I’m the only person in the world who can do all three at the same time. CGC will pass, as all things do… Yes, the agency business is fucked… But a bunch of Silicon Valley geeks don’t have the answer because they have no idea about content. And at the end of the day it’s all about content.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:29 am
CGC is (of course) not about having consumers “making ADs”. But, to miss the change of the consumers’ behaviour that takes place globally, and how that affects traditional marketing strategy, is to be blind. I think it is basic logic: today consumers have global access of information. They also have an arena for their own opinions, and that equals power. There is great potential in inviting consumers, rather than regarding them as passive receptors of communication. If they have the urge and technology to demand their voice to be heard, how could we possibly stop that? And if we could, would we really want that? Is it stupid to use the consumers creativity in, for instance product devlopment? Could their creativity be an asset rather than a threat to brands & companies? I belive so.
Besides, does it make sence chasing consumers ‘a la 360° if they just click us away (with such ease) as they do today? There is a shift of power going on, the new consumer knows this . Maybe agencies should start selling creative strategy based on this shift, and little less “AD’s”…?
March 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pm