A bunch of fat cat ad execs descended upon the Fairmont Southhampton hotel in Bermuda this week, as part of the 4As management conference. Stuart Elliott of the New York Times was there.
Madison Avenue was warned yesterday that it risked being marginalized by profound changes in technology and demographics that are fundamentally changing the ways products are sold to consumers.
“Get past the notion the advertising process is an assembly line,” said Jack Klues, chief executive of the Starcom MediaVest Group in Chicago, part of the Publicis Groupe, which handles media planning and buying for marketers like Procter & Gamble.
“We have to stop arguing about who owns the process,” Mr. Klues said. “The consumer is boss, and there is plenty of room for anyone who can get us closer to the boss.
“Our failure to move now, and aggressively, will lead us to be held back,” he warned, “perhaps forever.”
Sounds like the media guy knows what’s up. That’s a start.