With the terrible financial situation and impending bankruptcy of both Chrysler and General Motors, all the talk in the Ad and Media trades is about how this is going to affect the agencies currently working for both these brands. What has been virtually ignored is that between them, GM and Chrysler have notified more than 3,000 local dealers they’re pulling the plug, and these companies will soon be out of business.
This will create havoc throughout the provincial advertising agency world as many smaller and mid sized agencies depend on car dealership accounts who require press ads, TV and radio, direct mailings, billboards, flyers… etc etc.. … Everything they need to get the word out in a local market. Plus, all kinds of local media, newspapers, TV and radio are going to be hit hard by the loss of billings from what has traditionally been a big spender. Unless they can replace those billings with other accounts – Which is more than doubtful in the current economy – Many of these agencies will disappear.
There is one small blessing to this fiasco, though… No more of those truly horrible ads with the local car dealer dressed as George Washington for their President’s day sale, or as Santa Claus at Christmas. Not to mention offering free hot dogs and donkey rides for the kids if you sign up for a $60,000 car.
Hi George,
Downstream always suffers significantly. More doom and gloom for the local newspapers. I feel sorry for the Donkeys George. Reminds me of that film about the cowboy who made his life doing tacky car ads. There could still be a real market for tacky ads. It all depends how sustainable cars take off. If you csan run a car on chicken droppings, all sorts of inventors may appear with their weird and wonderful inventions. It could be a great event for Red Bull to sponsor nationwide. A race to invent the most sustainable 'Energy Car'. Ads in local press calling for entries, viral ads for inventors publicising their products to get funding online. We are on the edge of an 'Eco Renaissance', everything is going 'Carbon Conscious'. The big boys knew about this for years and did nothing. Now everybody else suffers. Companies reap what they sow. If they sow tacky ads, now thy're reaping a tacky income as a resut. I just feel sorry for the small man.
George Parker
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 17 Nov 2009
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