Bob Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman/Lewis and otherwise known as The Ad Contrarian, is taking a deeper look at the factors hampering the ad industry in a series of posts titled The Crisis of Advertising:
Advertising pundits are right about one thing. The ad industry is a fucking disaster.
They are wrong, however, about what is causing the problems.
The crisis is not being caused by the internet. The internet should be a boon to advertising.
The crisis is not being caused by “new media.” New media should be stimulating a creative resurgence.
The crisis is not the result of consumers becoming immune to advertising. The idea that consumers are suddenly immune to advertising is just plain nonsense.
Unfortunately, the causes of the crisis are much deeper and intractable. They revolve around three factors.
1. Consolidation of the ad industry
2. Talent and brain drain
3. Mindless me-too-ism
He’ll be explaining it further in some posts coming up. I’m staying tuned for this. Bob has a keen perspective and a very sharp tongue.
