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Marketing & Media Trends

#BizTrends2018: Refocus on the business of advertising

For years we've been told that the future of advertising is the internet and data. So, we all followed the trend and jumped onto the super highway. From the days of dial-up to LTE and fibre, we have continuously raced ahead, finding new ways to create new waves. Today, streams of videos, interviews, content, shows, sounds, and apps, are brought to us by brand X.
Nicole Solarsh Glickman, creative group head at House of Brave.
Nicole Solarsh Glickman, creative group head at House of Brave.

Every page visited is taken over by another “Now you can get 20% off”. Every news headline is sidelined to a pop-up box that screams “Do you have comprehensive cover?”. And every video is pre-empted by: “You can skip this ad in 5, 4, 3…” But that’s not all! When least expected, we answer our phone to a pre-recorded: “Congratulations! You qualify for...” message that sounds as if it’s been filtered through a vocoder. Nowadays, we can’t even catch a ride without a Hubble screen commentary accompanying our travels.

The world is filled with so much stuff, that it is virtually (excuse the pun) impossible to retain narratives, messaging and brands. And without strategy, content is merely more stuff, more noise, more interference.

David Ogilvy is renowned for stating, “In the modern world it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can sell what you create”. Never has this sentiment been more true. Brands can no longer expect sales simply based on presence and disruption. They need to be connecting, engaging and building relationships with consumers to positively impact the client’s bottom line. And in a world of social media, where word spreads at an average of 10MBPS, one happy and loyal customer is often far more valuable than thousands of advertising messages.

The world of advertising has changed. Ad agencies are leaner and meaner. Doing more with fewer resources and smaller budgets.

Client needs and expectations have changed. They no longer look to agencies to simply let their imagination run wild out the box to create something “Wow”, but to become intricately involved in their business, its daily challenges and operations; and to look at solving problems or situations from a fresh, unorthodox perspective.
Goodbye to the days of creativity without purpose. It may win gold statues and be appreciated by other “I wish I had done that” creatives, but if those statues are adorning agency shelves without retaining jobs and driving sales, they are no longer considered effective.

An ad man once stated, “The only people who care about advertising are the people who work in advertising”. Not true. In 2018, our clients care more about every cent they spend on advertising than ever before. They want results. Everything is measured, tracked, analysed and re-analysed. How many clicks, likes and conversions creative campaigns deliver have become all important. Clients want returns. On building their business, building their brand, building customer loyalty and, ultimately, building their bank balance.

And so, we no longer simply find ourselves in the industry of big ideas, but in the business of advertising.

About nicole glickman

We are all given a purpose. Mine is to communicate, to touch peoples' lives, to inspire dialogue and to hopefully make a difference in others' lives...
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