Hasta La Creative!

Two of this week’s most widely reported business stories really sum up the current polarization of the media landscape and economy at large. At one end of the spectrum, we have Google’s introduction of Ad Planner, a program some in the business believe could put lots of agency folks out of work because of its potential for simplifying the media buying process. At the opposite end of the food chain, Joshua Persky walks the streets of Manhattan, an unemployed investment banker and father of five with no need (or funds) for high-tech tools to get his message across. His “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire” sign works just fine. Ad Planner will probably be a huge success. But at this rate, Google may be the only company left to use it, placing classifieds to fill its own ranks and developing increasingly sophisticated filters to sift through the thousands of applicants who queue up for each entry-level position. Persky should apply.

—Posted by David Gianatasio