The Decline and Fall of Advertising

As so often happens when I go Googling, I head down paths I’ve never traveled before. I’ve always been that way with dictionaries. I open one up in search of a particular word and get distracted into reading the definitions of other words, sometimes forgetting what word I wanted to read about in the first place.

I was Googling for something this morning when I got switched over to a different track that led me to a really interesting interview with positioning guru Al Ries. The interview was in the September 7, 2005 issue of PR Intelligence Report.

If you’re in advertising, you owe it to yourself to click over to the interview. Same goes if you’re in PR. Ditto if you run a company that markets itself and its product. In other words, everyone in business stands to profit from reading this short interview.

I won’t tell you what Al Ries says, but those of you who’ve been following his words in recent years will already have a pretty good idea. This guy, who with along with Jack Trout coined the term “positioning” in its marketing – mostly advertising context, is ready to administer the last rites for advertising.

After the poor showing of advertising sales for this year’s Super Bowl and the collective yawn of Americans’ over the Winter Olympics, Al Ries may have it more right than Madison Avenue yet has the insight or courage or both to admit. Great brands are being created with little or no advertising. Starbucks is one such. Ries lists others in the aforementioned interview.

I really would like to hear what readers – especially those in advertising – have to say about the future of advertising.
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ANNOUNCEMENT:   You can now see a full-length talk I gave at Bentley College at a symposium entitled, "Does Marketing Need Reform?" Go to the first afternoon session once on the site and click on "Marketing to the New Customer Majority." You can also see and hear the legendary Phillip Kottler and other academic luminaries in the field of marketing at that website.

Comments

[Rohit Bhargava]

Great post, David. My view (as someone who has worked in advertising and now works at a PR agency) is that the most powerful messages are those passed from consumer to consumer. The best advertising today is entertainment and little more. Contrast this with word of mouth marketing campaigns, or PR campaigns where third parties endorse or publicize products and services and you have a much more powerful model. I would rather have my customers (or the press) telling others what my product does than people talking about how funny and clever "that ad with the magic fridge" was any day.

[Dick Ambrosius]

David,
Having read both the Fall of Advertisng and everything you have written, it would seem the rise in the adult median age is a major cause of the decline in advertising effectiveness, which Ries doesn't really address.

In my 30 years of work with older consumers, I know 50 plus customers are much more trusting of a peer's recommendation than a celebrity's endorsement; increasing hate the continued use of stereotypes and want facts; not hyperbole, which pretty much eliminates advertising's ear candy as a source of information.

Until companies and the agencies that serve them wake up to the reality of a market that is now more senior than junior, the decline will continue...and at an accelerated rate with each passing year.

[David]

Dick,

As usual -- you've hit the nail on the head -- bang!

DBW

[David]

Rohit

Having moved over into the PR arena from advertising I'm sure you have a lot to say about what's gone wrong in advertising. I'd welcome a piece from you as a guest author if you're interested.

Thanks for your comment.

DBW

[Rokko]

Hi ! Your site is very interesting. Thank you.

[Steve Traversi]

As always, insightful stuff. The whole concept of word of mouth marketing is becoming more relevant on an almost daily basis. Perhaps we have reached the saturation point with conventional advertising/marketing efforts where eye candy is king and image is everything. It just becomes sensory overload and the only advice you can trust is the one from your fellow consumer.

[Big Noige]

Nice little piece however you can't be claiming that stealth marketing or pr can replace conventional mass marketing. consumers will merely adapt their avoidance mechanisms to encompass statements made by strangers, celebrities etc. Also it is simply an impossibility for a consumer to have a relationship with every product so as relationship marketing, direct marketing and all their affiliates expand in their use these techniques will lose their effectiveness aswell!

[Jeff Paul Internet Business]

I just want to add one thing in this conversation in my point of view that it just becomes sensory overload and the only advice you can trust is the one from your fellow consumer.