The Year the Media Died… Billboard Hit or Broken Record?

crying If you’re looking for another reason to cry yourself to sleep tonight over this whole “recession” thing, here’s a whole nine minutes chock-full of reason.

Warning: The following video may lead you to question your allegiance to the media world as we know it. (Or cling to it for dear, dear life.)

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Okay, so if you’re anyone in the advertising or media industry, you might have gotten a chuckle or two out of that rather painfully long parody of a Don McLean classic. (And I think the creator, Terence Kawaja, had intended for such a response.) The video, which was recently shown at Federated Media’s Conversational Marketing Summit in NYC is too long, in my opinion. And yet, despite its length, lack of editing, and downright dismal outlook on the future of media — I find it rather inspiring.

I will tell you that I am the last one you will find riding through town shouting, “The media is dying! The media is dying!” (Hell, there’s plenty of cynics and even a twitter account out there for that.) No, it is much more my style to stand up as a proponent for the future of media, and of advertising for that matter, than flood the — uh, media — with dying media talk.

The reality is that times are a-changing. And whether you perceive it as dying or evolving, traditional media is undoubtedly ADAPTING to the changing world we live in today. Advertisers are finding new and innovative ways to craft clever media plans that not only suit their strategy, but also fit nicely into their client’s pinched budgets.

It’s easy to blame “the digital revolution” for the demise of “traditional media.” But honestly, is it so treacherous to want the best of both worlds?

… Where digital and traditional combine to produce true creative harmony. Where the consumer is always top-of-mind. Where agencies are held more accountable to their clients. And where the Wanamakers of the world actually get the results they desire.

Oh yeah, and where people start talking about the new ways advertising and media professionals are rewriting the rules of the game, instead of listening to the same old song on repeat.

So tell me — how are YOU changing the game?

Deanna Lazzaroni is a self-professed sponge of creative advertising, armed with enthusiastic vigor to tackle the challenges of the mighty marketer’s world. She’s ripe for the picking at deannalazzaroni.com.

AdWeek’s Fluffy State of the Industry

Have you ever diligently searched for some information, or at least several sources, and come up empty handed? Happens to me all the time…I’ll get a “great” idea and try to substantiate it, only to find that there is no accessible data. It is frustrating and a bit degrading. Recently, I wanted some hard numbers on the state of the Ad Industry, and wasn’t coming up with much besides geusstimates and hype: I wanted data on damage done to date; total layoffs, shops that closed, account spending cuts, etc.

Enter AdWeek. Usually a good source; not one that I would consider as a supplier of inane (lacking sense, significance, void) information. AdWeek usually does a decent job covering the industry, and when I saw a piece done by Mark Dolliver, “How Will Downturn Impact Advertising?” I almost peed in my pants. Finally! I excitedly dug in, expecting some hard-hitting insights from a professional publication and journalist that would leave me much better for reading it.

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Wrong! Basically, the article is an opinion-based couple of paragraphs derived from a survey completed by approximately 4500 LinkedIn users. The headline is catchy, and Mr. Dolliver’s hook is that “If the Recession doesn’t kill advertising, it could make it stronger.” There were no answers, just opinion. No data, just speculation. No scientific study…just a poll that is sketchy with vague answer choices …one being, “Less Advertising.”

What in the hell does “less advertising” mean? Less revenue? Physically fewer ads? With spot costs declining, couldn’t we have more advertising? If we’re basing “less” on volume, the rapid unraveling of the print industry would definitely mean “less advertising.”

Stay tuned…as soon as the hard facts come in, I’ll get back to you.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing.
He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.