4) Commercials have shown to be a most resilient communications medium. Predictions of the demise of the commercials business have been untrue even if the models for producing them have changed drastically. I find it fascinating that traditional models of production companies along with companies whose media is more important than its production like Vice and Funny Or Die coexist across a landscape of marketing communications. The fact that large agency networks coexist with shops that are virtual is most interesting along with viral companies whose main job is to coalesce talent from a cloud source base.
But they’re still obviously attracting amazing talent within the advertising business. Consistently Wieden+Kennedy does amazing work--for example, the new stuff being done for Old Spice. Then there’s the consistency of genius work being done by The Martin Agency for Geico. While it seems a bit anachronistic to be celebrating the creation of advertising across a landscape where so many other factors indicate the success of a marketing campaign, the craft of the commercial is still something I find quite exciting. Perhaps the greatest trend in the commercial business is the rise of the celebrity director and celebrity within commercials. Not unlike what happened with magazine covers many years ago, it seems that the supermodel being replaced by the celebrity has come to the marketing business just as an influencer being as important as media buys. This is the sea change that will continue in the future.
Celebrity has become an even bigger deal to justify tent pole-type ads, while low cost/high production value services are important than ever. The middle, of course, is squeezed like never before.
The adage that “50 percent of marketing is effective, just which 50 percent?” is more true today than ever. With all of the analytics and scientific study of marketing, capturing the imagination of the public is more viral and more important than ever today. What captures audiences’ imaginations is an art form, not a science.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing indications of advertising comes from this political season where spending dollars on advertising has had a counter intuitive effect on the popularity of candidates. In fact, the more money spent in political TV advertising, it seems the less important the candidate. Use of social media and celebrity has literally “Trumped” the entire field.