As Tom Petty so memorably sang; ‘the waiting is the hardest part’. This week I’m doing a fair bit of waiting and it’s very frustrating. Here’s the thing: over the past few weeks, my colleagues and I have been pitching a business proposition at potential investors. We’re ready to get on with it and the market has never been more ready to receive. We’re itching to get going. But we have to wait while our potential investors work out whether they believe our market analysis, whether they’re comfortable with our strategy and, most importantly, whether or not we fit in with all their other plans.Like Tom Petty, desperate to get jiggy with his lady, we’re out there with our hearts on our sleeves but can’t really do anything else until at least one of our prospects says ‘yes’. So we’re waiting. And while we wait, it’s interesting to see how others are coping with the frustrations of the moment. The other day, a friend of mine asked me to comment on some ads created by an Edinburgh agency that is clearly tired of waiting and has taken the initiative in the fight against the economic downturn.60 Watt, has ‘put its money where its mouth is’ and created a series of press ads that urge potential clients to maintain marketing budgets and (of course) switch their advertising to 60 Watt. Fair enough. They’re lean and keen and the guys there have a decent track record in advertising. You can see the ads here on their blog. Sure, the ads themselves are thought provoking enough but I’m just not convinced that being good at ads is enough for the 21st Century. Marketing is about so much more than advertising and if agencies are going to have a role in the future, they’re going to have to find a different model. Having said that, I’ve spent a number of years now trying to develop a model where marketing in its widest sense is right at the centre of the business proposition – not just a function of the business but what the business is all about. I know I’m right, I’ll just have to wait a little longer to prove it.
The ads seem very insular and inward looking. Advertising agencies are full of megalomaniacs who think the world starts and stops with advertising. And advertising telling people should advertise is a very conventional thing to do. To stand out, agencies need to brave and rebellious. The age of conventional has gone. Bring on the revolution.
Alan Munro
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 01 Sep 2009
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