There is a generation of Ad creatives that were grown up hearing “advertising is not what it used to be”, over and over. They are young enough to start believing that it never happened, that it’s just a melancholic dream their annoying old bosses like to repeat.
Yes, there was a time when advertising used to have some popular relevance. People liked commercials and campaigns, it was popular and influential. It was something stimulating in terms of storytelling, technique, form and content.
Now, after the overwhelming change of technology and media, even disciplines, like Gastronomy, have far more popular relevance than advertising.
Why? Simply, because they are more innovative.
Creativity -as advertising creatives understand it- is no longer innovative. Because, due to the industry standards and old fashion rules that keep seeking for “the big idea”. The big idea is dead, people will no longer sign our jingles, people will not comment on Mondays the new funny idea for X brand seen on TV.
Yes, we can blame people because they don’t watch TV. We can blame interactive advertising because slogans don’t work there. We could conclude people don’t like storytelling -or, at least, they don’t like in a TV format-. But the fact is that people comment on Mondays the new iPad, the new cloud service or the newest application for mobile devices.
Public want innovation. Even the Cannes festival just dropped the word “advertising” from their own definition. People -and media- want new stuff, not another edition of the Big Idea myth. They want innovation, wherever it is. Wether it is in a media lab, in a development department, or in a kitchen.
We can not create something new if the rules are the same. The future of advertising is evolving to a mix of New Media, where you let the user play with devices, and the message is simply replaced with a successful user experience.
Old school just pushes messages. In my opinion, the future goes to events and New Media. Events that connect with people, which give the user relevant content and tools. New Media that give value to the public.
Give a tool, give an experience. Give the public something relevant, or the public will go home and play with his own content and networks apart from you.
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