Well, it’s not news to us, but it is in today’s USA Today:
Companies are under more pressure than ever to deliver rosy quarterly results, and top marketing executives have less time than ever to prove their mettle. The average tenure of a chief marketing officer at a major U.S. company has declined to 23.2 months, according to search firm Spencer Stuart.
It’s no wonder they’ll sign off on increasingly bizarre ideas.
For instance, a recent promotion for the Paramount Pictures film Jackass: Number Two appears on urinal mats when the mat is hit with a stream of “number one.”
Even conservative Procter & Gamble (PG) has loosened up. It put print ads for Crest Night Effects whitening gel inside women’s restroom stalls — at eye level when the user sits down.
“Marketers are saying, ‘We must be more innovative — to zig when others zag,’ ” says Richard Notarianni, executive creative director of media at ad firm Euro RSCG.
“The industry is desperate to find clever ways to reach people, whether or not it has any legitimate value. … When someone says, ‘Let’s put advertising in bathroom stalls,’ another says ‘That’s great. It’s a captive audience.’ “
Frankly, I think the key word in that last paragraph is “desperate.”
