Silver Bullet

Integrated agencies have sort of the right idea. Problem is, what they’re integrating is the web and traditional media. By my count, now that’s five ways to deliver an advertising message: TV, print, radio, outdoor, web. A few more, if you subdivide the web into sites/banners/text/electronic viral/etc. But not much more.

My problem with that is: I think there are an infinite number of ways to do it.

My other problem with that: the web isn't new anymore.
Link: Maturing Industry Feels Growing Pains - Yahoo! News.

Traditional agencies, for the most part, don’t have a clue what to do online, except for two things: A – treat it like TV; or B – hire an integrated agency to subcontract. Ditto for guerrilla, ditto for viral, ditto for anything that they haven’t been doing every day for the last 50 years. They’re trying to catch up to new things, but keep the commission flowing the way it used to. I don’t think it’ll work.

Online marketing evangelists don’t care much for creative. They’re getting click-throughs now without it, because, while cluttered, the text ad world is still targeted extremely well. Eventually, though, it’ll become clear that all advertising isn’t going to become what amounts to an interactive newspaper classified. Competition will take care of that.

Bloggers believe blogging sells things. I do, too, in some cases. When a product is novel, or a considered, major purchase, I want to know more. Getting the information from a blog I trust is a good way to find out more. I’m not sure I’d read a blog about paper towels, though.

Everyone’s searching for a silver bullet.

They're just searching in the wrong place. Because they're only looking at new, novel delivery methods. Things change too fast now. What works today, won’t tomorrow. And the next day, it might not even be relevant, or even exist. Something else takes its place, lives on top for awhile, and the cycle repeats.

There is a silver bullet, though.
It’s the same bullet that’s always been silver: a great idea.

Notice I didn’t say, “concept.” I could have, but in advertising, “concept” implies a medium. In today’s world, a great idea crosses all boundaries, all media, and infects every part of a business’ face to the public. Delivery method is part of the idea - but not the idea itself.

How to get there? Stay tuned.

tags: Advertising Marketing