Doug DavidoffIt finally sank in on Madison Avenue in 2005 that the 30-second commercial is fading as a means of hawking products or services. Ad executives will be busy in 2006 trying to figure out what to put in its place.
From – The Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, January 03, 2006; As 30-Second Spot Fades, What Advertisers Will Do Next
Once again Madison Avenue is proving that they don’t get it; that they are incapable (or at least clearly unwilling) to look at themselves when trying to solve their problems. Advertisers are blaming the proliferation of media, and devices like the iPod and Tivo for the ineffectiveness of their methods.
The problem doesn’t lie within the 30-second commercial itself, the reason the 30-second spot is dying (if it isn’t already dead) is because it doesn’t create any value. At best it communicates the value the ‘seller’ claims to create (visit my previous post on value creation vs. value communication. Anything advertisers replace the 30-second spot with will be equally ineffective if it fails to create value.
Any organization looking for growth needs to stop focusing on their methods and start focusing on their message – is it worth hearing! When I started in business I wanted to know how to get coverage from the news media. An early mentor of mine said that the way to do that was simple – be newsworthy.
Consumers, people, are tired of hearing claims, promises and silliness. If Madison Avenue wants to improve its results, it should start by looking within, and begin creating value.
Until next time, Doug