We’re missing the point of advertising.
At 52, I’ve started to reflect on my time in this business.
I guess that’s inevitably father time ticking away on my shoulder, always reminding me that the days are getting shorter, and the business is changing. Additionally, I sometimes find myself questioning why the hell I even pursued marketing and advertising in the first place.
Let’s face it…it’s historically unstable in terms of job security. The efforts, the hours, and the work often go ignored due to ignorance, or budget cuts, or the injection of new and better ways to do things cheaper and faster (hello AI) and long gone are the agency retainers and decade-long account relationships.
And ultimately (to quote Jason Robards from Parenthood) “There is no end zone. You never cross the goal line, spike the ball and do your touchdown dance. Never.” Unless of course sales go up immediately the day after you launch a campaign, which in that event, your job is seemingly safe for another week.
All that being said however, I always come back to that same question. Why did I pursue this?
And the answer is always the same; because I like creating happiness for others to enjoy. That’s it. Donny Deutsch said it best when asked about what we do in advertising. “We inspire crave.” Nostalgic perhaps, but I love that concept. I love the fact that we inspire people to be happy. That somewhere I was born with a passion for creating moments, memories and experiences through visuals and words and headlines. That somewhere I still long for the days well before me that advertising was more about an experience, as opposed to a product.
Many of you will be wondering what I mean by that, and this is where my attached image comes into play. I believe the problem with our industry and the problem with the perception of what marketers and advertisers actually do, has been lost. The problem is that we are all missing the point. We have evolved into an industry of having to say (or being forced to say) everything about a product or service in a communication to try and stand out. Clients ask for entire Ben Hur-novels of information to be in one ad…just because they are afraid that they won’t be noticed.
“We need to say this. And this. And this. And make sure there are bullet points to say this. And make sure the logo is huge so people know it’s us.”
And that’s where the point is missed. Advertising is not about selling a product, or a service, or a solution. It’s about providing an experience to impact how someone lives their life.
Marketing is about understanding how what you build directly changes the way people live and interact with their world. Not yours. Not because of your innovations. Not because of your logo. But because what you offer changes and impacts the way they live. And at the end of the day, that’s all your ads should say up front. In three simple statements.
“Here is what we f’ing do.”
“Here is why you f’ing need it.”
“Here is how you f’ing get it.”
Look at the ads of the older generations. Short, one-paragraph copy blocks. Huge beauty image. One direct headline. Volkswagen, Panasonic, TWA, Ford. Straight forward and direct. No long diatribes about the details…just how their products are going to make you feel when you own them.
Rolls Royce (1958) –“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”
Volkswagen (1960) - “Think small. Presenting America’s slowest fastback.”
Hallmark (1944) - “When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best.”
De Beers (1948) - “A Diamond Is Forever.”
Period. No bullet points. No four-paragraph sales sheet copy. No links to QR codes, and landing pages and support captures. Each and every one of those examples makes you walk away saying “Holy shit...that’s how I want to feel”.
” I had a shit day. Calgon take me away.”
That’s advertising. That’s marketing. Making an audience smile, breathe easier, hold their head up higher in social settings, sleeping easier at night, creating a sense of comfort that they “have something to be proud of”. Pretty simple concept when you think about it. I didn’t want all-leather white Converse All Stars in 6thgrade because of the shoe construction. I wanted them because I thought my crush Shannon would think I was cooler than the other kids. And my parents bought them for me knowing that.
People don’t add luxury interiors to their cars for the “extra comfort”. They do it because it elevates their perception of where they are in life and status and when they are showing off their cars to friends and neighbors, that leather looks a helluva lot more successful.
Consumers don’t buy jeans because of the rivets or the quality of the denim. They buy them to make their asses look better. Period. You want to look good. You want to feel good.
Harsh? Perhaps. But be honest. We are all perfectly capable of brewing our own damn coffee at home for 4 bucks in bulk from Costco, but we’ll forego that for a $5-$10 cup at Starbucks because we love the experience of a Starbucks store. The ambiance, the atmosphere, the brand connection of being affiliated with them. Because honestly, it’s not the quality of the coffee.
It's about an experience. An experience that a company can give you for your well-earned money. You walk different in the jeans you bought. You roll the window down at stop signs to make sure everyone sees your luxury interior. You buy the $17 Starbucks travel mug when waiting for your $13 latte-mocha-half-calf nonsense…because this brand makes you feel accomplished.
Hell, did Shannon ever notice my shoes? No, but for one year, (a lifetime when you’re in 6th grade) I went to school not being embarrassed. I went to school feeling like the shit. Was that because of the vibram soles? Not even close. It was because my parents knew that it wasn’t about the flash. It was about a brand that would bring me happiness…and more than likely, a brand that would give them peace and quiet.
We as marketers and advertising experts need to focus on what we really do. I tell clients this all the time…I don’t care if you’re selling a shoe, a SAAS service, a car, a tool, or a catheter…it’s not about the product. It’s about positioning and understanding how that shoe, service, SAAS platform, car or tool makes your audience feel. How it’s going to (even if in the smallest way) change their day.
Get back to the point. Advertise to change lives on a daily basis.
And not to go back to being nostalgic…but this remains my inspiration. The industry and companies would do better to remind themselves that it all comes down to the experience they can provide.