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Why are you not creating good ads?
This is a question that is being asked most often by those who do not work in advertising. This is possibly a reflection of how mediocre our work has been these days. There is hardly a campaign we remember from the three big marquee events that have happened recently: IPL, T20 World Cup and Paris Olympics.
Across social media, there is a conversation about how the industry is doing ordinary work and how the whole advertising industry is in a tailspin. And yes, the industry, for the first time in its history, has shown signs of stagnation, so are the clients now not investing in their brands?
Why is it that we in the industry are struggling to create magic?
Before we delve into what we can do to improve, let us look at what is happening in our industry. This should be the best time to work in advertising. There cannot be a time that is as good as this. Advertising is created based on what is known, and discovering consumer reality has always been time-consuming. But not now, not at this time.
We live in an age where information is free, data is everywhere, and advertising is measurable. More information is available with the click of a mouse than it may even seem possible.
We now know who buys what, when, and how many times. We know all about their kitchen shelves, laundry baskets, food choices and drinks menus. The sites they visit, the videos they see, the songs they listen to, the pictures they click, the partners they click with! There is nothing that is not available with the click of the mouse. And yet, we are not able to engage with them in a meaningful, rewarding or long-term way.
The issue lies with this overload of information. All the data is combined to create a robust picture of what they do today. The entire digital media ecosystem is built on “what did the consumer do when they were last online.” While this is good-to-know information, today, we focus too much on this “good-to-know” bunch of data.
This information in no way tells us what may happen tomorrow or the day after. The advertising created based on this information will only strengthen the behaviour that already exists.
Historically, brands have had to look at crafting a fresh take on an existing or new situation, problem or solution. To make advertising efforts work, you need to create an impression on your audience — encourage a new frame of mind or a more nuanced understanding of an aspect of your industry or services.
When we focus too much on today, thanks to the availability of information, we forgo the ability to drive a change in behaviour, seed new habits or create a new way of looking at the world around us.
We need to look beyond the spreadsheets of information that have started to occupy us. Turn the dumb data into knowledge and knowledge into insights. The vision for tomorrow is built on the reality of today, but tomorrow is never the same as today.
We need to reboot the way we approach connecting with our consumers. Trending reels, keywords, formats, analytics, hashtags, and three-second views are white noise, they do not help in crafting a fresh new way to engage. Only when we reboot will we be able to make the consumers look at us again.
(The author is Co-Founder and CSO, Bang in the Middle.)
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