Writing on his blog Creative Direction, T.J. Bennett, an ACD at Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners, looks why some ad people empathize with the Occupy Wall Street movement:
Many of us gravitated to advertising because we felt we could make a difference. We didn’t want to blindly follow the corporate drones—we wanted to create something. Well, this is our chance. We’re on the inside. We see things many don’t get to see. And, if we’ve developed good relationships with our clients, we have earned a level of trust.
Let’s create something more than a print ad or TV commercial. Let’s leverage the trust we’ve earned and develop a new kind of communication that starts from within organizations and works its way out. Instead of simply trying to change customers’ minds, let’s change corporations’ cultures as well. If we can convince people to purchase differently, surely we can convince a business to think differently.
Will it be easy? Hardly. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. Because if we don’t, the gap between the haves and have-nots will only grow wider. And pretty soon, there won’t be anybody left to advertise to anymore.
He hits on some very good points. We need a prosperous economy to help our clients. And we can use our creative abilities to make the world, and the world of business, a better place.
What are your thoughts about “Occupy Wall Street”? Is there a middle ground to be had where capitalism becomes more responsible? Can advertising help lead that movement? Would your clients be on board for that?
