Is the ad industry much of an industry at all?

Well said. You don’t need to quote philosophers when you can quote Stephen Stills; “If you can’t be with the one you love, Love the one you’re with. Don’t be angry – don’t be sad, Don’t sit crying over good times you’ve had”

This isn’t a criticism Sir Adam, but more of observation – would have absolutely loved your ‘jealousy’ list, or even an envy list along with this call-to-action.

Mediacom / Westpac
C&P / Jeep

Two doesn’t make much of a list, but definitely jealous of.

Some nice thoughts, and the deck chairs may well look nice re-arranged but those who remember Marketing 101 will remember product life cycle theory. If it applies universally the only real question is ‘Is advertising a product?’

You’ve hit the nail on the head here, Adam. Creating an ad nowadays is like throwing yourself into a lions’ den… Despite there being so much more science, data, qualifying and testing that goes into an idea, there is a hell of a lot more scrutiny that goes with it.

If we took this collaborative and supportive approach, not only would it spur on brilliant work, we may actually make an extra buck or two.

Nice one Adam have a good break.

Just sheepish silence?

Well said Adam. I for one have always been an advocate for the Activations industry to work more collaboratively and respect each other versus criticising and back-stabbing one another and the work they produce.

Together with a fresh new Committee we rescued our own industry body and steered our industry into a new direction – one of agency collaboration, respect and recognition of each other’s work and working together for the greater good of the industry. Whilst it’s still not perfect we’ve certainly come a long way and are still working on it.

In fact just the other day I personally rang the MD of one of our competitors to congratulate them on a win against our agency and we both agreed that our hope was that more of our industry could be like that!

The people who have done the most for advertising are those who have created the work [and ideas] that made other brands jealous and other people want to join up.

That said, I agree with the sentiment of what you’re saying [without discounting the need for objectivity rather than cynicism or pettiness], but let’s not pretend the issues you raise are limited to the ad “industry”.

I’ve seen far too many other companies in other industries who are only happy to share the blame rather than the praise.

I agree it’s tragic, but it’s not unique just to our discipline.

Great message Adam. Hopefully 2015 will gift us the positive change.

Funny!

Adam

Your intention may be noble, but what makes you think you are able to speak for the industry?

There are PLENTY of agencies that not only talk about the work they wish they did, but also make sure their clients see it. In fact, I know of one agency that calls a presentation to their clients “Work we wish we had done.” So your basic premise is, well, bullshit.

You may not do much for the industry as a whole, but there are plenty of people in the various industry organizations that spend a lot of volunteer time making the industry better.

If this writing this article makes you feel better, or helps you deal with feelings of guilt, then I hope it has done the job. But please, please, stop speaking for the rest of us.

There are plenty of people working their arses off, who love their jobs, their agencies, and their clients. Happiness is a state of mind. Now is not the time to wallow in some sort of shame.

It would be great if Australia could be known for work that is “strategic” in stead of “so tragic”.

As you know Adam the addiction to “silos of specialists” and “continuity of cronyism” remains firmly in place everywhere here.

Confessing one’s hatred of the whole shit pile, far from inappropriate, could actually result in some collectively cathartic and nonetheless necessary steps towards (actual, comfort zone shattering) change.

Onya Adam – it’s an industry like no other and could both teach others but also learn from others how to work together for a greater good.

@theaccountant

Hi sunshine. I’m speaking ‘at’ the industry, not ‘for’ it, and will continue to do so. Perhaps I need to improve my communications skills as I’m certainly not asking people to ‘wallow in shame’ – then again maybe you need to listen more?

Maybe advertising and PR need to be hated.

Until the majority of people working in this industry are prepared to openly discuss the ethics of what they do – and how their work affects other human beings – these professions will remain a seething mass of arrogance and shame.

A few first steps:
– Develop a personal standpoint; stop equating apolitical compliance as professionalism, stop adopting your client’s views as your own.

– Ask yourself why these industries are often considered to have a negative impact on the community.

– Ask yourself why advertising and PR people are often known for lacking morals and being bitchy, deceitful, superficial, ego-driven.

– Ask yourself why most advertising and PR firms are keen to preach corporate social responsibility to clients as a way of generating sales but don’t practice it themselves.

@adam wow calling someone “sunshine,” conceited much? How can you say you aren’t speaking “for” the industry when you use the royal “we.” The question is Adam, what have you actually done to improve the situation? And why do you think you can speak on behalf of everyone and make blanket assumptions – again re read what you wrote and your use of “we.” It is your OPINION, which you have a right to, but you don’t have a right to be a self designated bell weather. Perhaps you need to write less and do more? Just a thought, “sunshine.” Less self flagellation IS required, but maybe look in the mirror first?

couldn’t agree more that it’s time to collaborate. We have an amazing vehicle to do that, it’s called UN LTD – our industry foundation. It provides a way for the talent & influence that we have in abundance to be directed at the 000’s of young Australian’s not as privileged as we are. No awards, no promotions, no stones, just coming together and giving because we can and we want to. Ideas always welcome! Here’s hoping 2015 is the year of WE. http://www.unltd.org.au

Sheesh this @Accountant isn’t doing much to help the popularity of bean counters! Stop waling mate!

@the accountant, it’s easy to critisise- Largely the reason this discussion was raised in the first place… Nobody needs to be right or wrong here sunshine- it’s the discussion and development of our industry that counts. If you have a strong opinion to counter or challenge, I suggest you lend your name to it or at least stop critisising those that do.

Adam we love your third aim for 2015: There would be equality of the sexes, and representative diversity.

Come and be a speaker at one of our SheSays events next year! We’d love to hear what you have to say.

@the Accountant the perils of disagreeing with a guest columnist are really apparent here. Perhaps Adam is not to be disagreed with. He proposes discussion, and then slaps downn a dissenter with a veiled insult. Some would say he was bullying, but we can’t say that or we will be deleted. Perhaps he was just giving us an example of collaboration.

Have to agree with @Groucho I’m afraid.

Love your work Adam! The industry needs more people like you. Here’s to a brilliant 2015 for all!

@accountant I call people ‘sunshine’ a lot – in this context it comes across as patronising and cynical. I’m sorry for being mildly offensive.

@groucho I’m not sure who you are but have read your comments for years. Observing your mildly caustic, negative, detached tone – wondering what joy / satisfaction you get from commenting like this anonymously?

@yasmin email me, and lets discuss.

@everyone (including Accountant and Groucho) thanks for commenting here and on Twitter / Facebook.

Happy holidays.

@adam

someone disagrees with you and you patronise them. Way to start an open dialogue on the very topic of trying to improve the industry.

How about you state exactly what sacrifices you’ll make in 2015 to give back to the industry?

Will you lobby mgmt to pay your junior accounts a fair salary?
Will you support your colleagues by staying late on friday nights?
Will share your tactics and strategies on how you win new business?
Will you donate time to help the under privilege start their marketing careers?

or will you just write opinion columns, speak at forums which are sponsored and yet cost $1500 to attend?

I’ll take you seriously when I actually yourself and Cummins&Partners make real sacrifices to improve the industry…

Adam’s major problem, like many others, is to fail to undertstand that critique is not sufficient. Too many indulge in critique. Most important is to actually do and achieve something worthwhile. Arguably, the ad industry’s most important and powerful management innovation in the past half century was the multi-skilled, proactive ad agency planning role conceived and launched 1966-1968 by Stephen King, Stanley Pollitt and David Brent. It changed the goal posts of the game forever for the better – more relevant and effective advertising, greater ROI and a percievd more professional and business-like modus operandi that improved the perception of ad agencies by valued advertisers who had been waiting many decades for this radically effective change to occur. What’s next?

Great article Adam, love your work! Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

Adam, that struck a chord. There is no doubt that more can and should be done building and driving the broader industry.

Agree Adam
The music industry today reminded us that competitors can be collaborative. Witness the plaudits from McCartney to Cocker.
But the elephant in the room remains in the dark shape of negative rants from too many anonymous bloggers … the noisy nay-sayers who allow those who love and support our industry to be drowned out by the sad and disillusioned haters.
As for ethics – surely it needs a voice and a forum for debate and discussion – who is to take up the cause again and help create the semblance of an industry conscience?

Dear Adam,
I agree with the sentiment – no issues there; but…..
1] AWARD don’t want anything to do with Copyschool [so much for caring about the future of our business].
2] The obsession with Awards is out of control. It feeds envy and turns agencies into combatants and has hijacked the industry from its primary purpose. [Thank God for the MADC just having an After-Party – see how much fun people can have and how well they get on together when awards don’t get in the way].].
3] The ‘Collective’s’ damnation of anything that isn’t ‘cool’, no matter how well it works, demonstrates the obsessive, narcissistic, selfish nature of our business.
4] The constant call by agency CEO’s to not reduce fees fails to recognise that practically anything and everything our clients sell is being sold for less than it was last year and the year before that and the year before that. The advertising industry is not immune from the same pressures our clients face every day.
5] When the ad industry acts like a professional, grown-up industry, treats its ‘members’ like grown-ups it has a future. Until then, expect more and more jobs to disappear; and more and more clients to take control of their own destiny.

@Adam I’m glad you have been reading my comments for years, I read yours too when their is nothing interesting about. I do like your question about anonymity and I did wonder what with the new job, how long it would take you to toe Sean’s line on that subject. I choose to be anonymous because I don’t feel the need to be known, I don’t believe that my identity adds to the worth or otherwise to my comments, and my comments would be the same either way. What’s more many people commenting know who I am anyway, and hopefully that I don’t feel the need for publicity, being self confident and all. Nor do I feel the need to distract from topics by oblique ad hominem attacks which frequently feature when you either slap down or patronise anyone who disagrees with you. I guess that is easier than defending your point of view. Happy holidays to you too and may the new year see your approach become more mature, less bullying.

@groucho I think this pre-dates anything I’ve seen Sean say publicly on the issue of anonymity http://www.campaignbrief.com/w.....ial-w.html

The one thing that has always fascinated me about human behaviour has been peoples ability to rationalise their way out of admitting to themselves they are undertaking harmful / destructive behaviours. No one wants to see themselves as mean – we have amazing ways of justifying our own behaviour.

Have a great holiday.

Adam

@Zeppo – I”m Zeppo so Nick off

I’ve been in the industry 10 years and never once have commented on anything, but this negative, misguided & hostile reaction to Adam’s point of view is awful.

I’m sure most would agree they could be doing something more to improve the industry. It certainly got me thinking. There might even be an idea in there for a new type of agency that embraces some of his thoughts that I’m sure clients would respond to.

His article worked exactly like a good ad should: get noticed, inspire action. Everyone should be happy that an article with such positive intentions was penned.

No wonder people don’t want to say anything public anymore.

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that just I read that whole post, as well as every comment posted at the time of typing out this comment. But having done both of those things, I feel I have to side with The Accountant (a first for me, to be sure) and the better monikered Groucho. Rob too, I parts. A not particularly insightful blog post is one thing, but the undeniably bitchy tenor of the author’s responses are another matter entirely. Bitch only really works when paired with wit, something completely lacking from this author’s post, and the follow up comments.

Mate, unfortunately what you’re referring to is specific to the Aussie industry. The modest size of the market, too many agencies, too many male agency heads and – dare I say it- Mumbrella make it particularly vitriolic and uncooperative. Now in London though, I can appreciate just how great some of the Australian agencies and the work they’re producing actually is.

Your hair looks incredible BTW.

All good thoughts and words. One more I would add:
Agencies must stop hiring hand-waving opportunists, chancers and con-artists and seek out people of quality and intellect.
That’s a tough ask – it takes research, trial and error, properly skilled recruitment and maturity in decision-making, but it’s worth doing.
Off the offal, bulldoze the bullshitters and napalm the narcissists.
Then with a base of real people with real talent, they’ll instinctively coalesce and start thinking as “an industry”.

This distinct lack of quality in human and intellectual terms in agencies, is what makes the industry a rubbish-tip occupied by hyenas.
There are too many of these opportunists of zero talent but mountains of over confidence who ‘talk the talk’ but deliver little.
More often than not they have a barrow-boy accent and are seeking out the gullible hirers in what they see as former colonies. Enough already – we can see straight through them.
It’s time for a regime of “talent cleansing”!

Well said, and interesting that the comments thread has become a metaphor for the argument being made.

Everyone hates there job. It’s a job.

People don’t hate their industry they hate sitting at a desk or answering to others.

Such a good, useful, approach to making change for the better with some really tangible ideas rather than just complaining about the industry as many others have/do.

I think @The Accountant and @Groucho have a point to a degree, but from my experience the good people in the industry in the main remain silent and sit back and for fear of being attacked (particularly on some trade press more so than others). Most of all though I think @The Accountant misunderstands that there is a difference between the ‘industry’ and our ‘jobs’. We can love our job, we can love our clients, we can collaborate with some other businesses or people in a constructive way in a silent and quite way in the background but are any of those people taking a public stand? Are they willing to do what @Adam is doing here and stand up? I’m not sure I can stomach it any more to be honest and appreciate people like @Adam.

I’ve done my part to try and make a difference in this industry and likewise got seriously attacked for it too. No one was taking such a stand back then, and I’m no one in particular really… just one of those people that really loves what I do and knows we really do have some great people in the industry who are not being heard. One person can’t do it. Let’s trust that like Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point we hit a point sometime soon where this more positive spin gets traction.

I wholeheartedly agree that the public face of the industry is every bit as @Adam suggests and there are significant numbers of people that don’t enjoy the ‘industry’ (at all) but may like their job. Count me in for that one.

No body should ever be afraid of being attacked, particularly in some trade press.
Any publicity is good so long as they spell your name correctly, it is only by making waves that you shake up those in the doldrums, alert the status quo, and counter the malady of horrible imaginings.

If you have thought it out, and if you feel you have point to make, then make it loud and clear. The ad industry is a great industry with many fine people in it. The fraudulent ones need to be jostled, and the dead wood needs to be cut out, we owe it to the industry and to ourselves.

VERY late to this article but some observations;

1. You wouldn’t ask this of many industry’s where competing for the client/consumer dollar is the main game – competition is not civil, it is warlike and therefore you see others as foe and morals take a back seat.
2. Imagine posing this notion to banking or insurance or retail or government/politics – you would be laughed out of the room
3. I don’t know nor have ever met Adam but he has always struck me as a man who is very confident in his opinion and plays a strong passive aggressive/ad hominem game to those who want to add or see things differently, much like Sean does. His responses to others did not change that view.
4. IF there was going to be bodies that represented the industry, which i thought already existed (!?!?), shouldn’t they be justifying or educating or enlightening our purchasers/clients on why our output is required and in fact necessary to their business. Things like creativity, consumer understanding, efficiency of creative message vs reach and frequency, why programmatic is a good part of the mix but not the end all, the role of transmedia across all platforms, how to judge creative, how to brief creative, how to identify business barriers and create great messaging vs keywords/visuals, why UX/UI/IA/IX are vital to a brands success, what a brand actually is – etc etc.
5. It should also put some non-negotiable aspects into EVERY award EVER given in this industry being – did it sell/how it attributed to a sale/the role it played in the mix – and this should be weighted as single ads that run once (in the Sunshine Courier) don’t really play that bigger role no matter how creative they are. Then the clients might understand us a bit more.

All in all – A for effort, the idea is interesting but needs a lot more fleshing out than ‘i was at an award do and this come into my head’ sort of input. Makes us all look a little reactive.