Mashable’s Todd Wasserman believes the ad industry’s “state of flux has swung open the doors for entrepreneurs, usual refugees from big agencies looking to capitalize on new opportunities.” Hey, I can identify with that.
Wasserman points to three new types of ad agencies, including the viral video factory. He argues that it is impossible to create a viral video, but then points to an agency that does so consistently.
New York-based Thinkmodo has had viral hit after viral hit including “Bubba’s Hovercraft,” “Flying People” and, most recently “Devil Baby,” which have all racked up millions of views.
The aforementioned “Bubbba’s Hover” was commissioned by Oakley Sunglasses. The video has been viewed 8,547,837 times on YouTube in just over a year.
Thinkmodo cranks out the hits despite a staff of just three.
In related news, social media agency Huge took 45 days to plan, create, approve, and publish a corporate social-media post, according to Business Insider.
Here’s the agency’s real-time reply to the absurdity of BI’s claim, delivered in a Tweet from the client in question, President Cheese:
While our Camembert may take 45 days to age, this tweet certainly didn’t!
— President Cheese (@presidentcheese) May 27, 2014
The fact is a lot of work goes on behind the scenes in advertising, whether its TV production, viral videos, print, radio or social media that’s being made, approved and run.
Take the 30-second commercial—the person watching can not possibly conceive of the thousands of hours and dozens of people behind the idea, and all it takes to bring it to life. Putting up a Tweet is simpler and happens a lot faster for a lot less money. At the same time, big brands like a team of professional writers, strategists, designers and data scientists to make things for them. These agency teams need to meet to discuss the research, meet again to go over the strategy, before meeting again in smaller groups to concept new campaign ideas, which will then be presented internally and again externally before the day-to-day execution of writing Tweets begins.
