This post was kicked off by a discussion I had regarding the direct response article on Seth Godin’s Blog.
It’s true that more and more marketing dollars are being held accountable, for good reason. Simply “getting your name out there” has generally stopped working, unless you have millions of dollars to throw at the problem.
“What can be measured gets done” is true. It’s also true that if it’s not measureable, it is much harder to make ‘better’. Insomuch as marketing is both art and science, Seth is complaining (and I agree) that the art is quickly leaving in favor of rapidly split-tested data that is scientifically rigorous.
This creates, as I see it, the following implications:
1) Measurement can be done by teasing out external factors to see how well a given branding style campaign has done. But it is not easy, or as accurate so it often falls to ‘doesn’t get done’.
2) There is still great art inside of marketing- insomuch as the traditional functions of Public Relations, Journalism and marketing are quickly merging to become a hybrid profession of the future (present?). This new profession has much art to it, and can be minimally influenced by raw statistical data.
I’ve yet to see a specific college marketing program churning out 22 year olds who are good journalistic researchers and interviewers, who know basic video production and HTML skills, and have a baseline knowledge of business and psychology.
3) I suspect that broadcast media specifically do NOT want their effectiveness measured for many of their advertisers. My estimate for when I do see TV commercials (and not fast forward through them) is no more than 20% are effective at generating a specific memorable message, to a specific audience that knows what to do next if they want to consider seriously buying a new Hyundai, Chimney/fireplace, Verizon Android thing, or prescription drug that will revolutionize your life if you are willing to deal with ‘minor’ side effects that take 45 seconds to explain. I don’t actually mind commercials personally- but I can’t recall the last time the person I was watching TV with paid the slightest attention to the commercials. Usually these are fast forwarded over.
4) I’m not a huge believer in advertising. BUT- As prices continue to drop, we will see more of a comeback. As advertisers are forced to keep up with the new psychology of marketing,
they will develop better, more interesting, meaningful and ‘artful’ commercials. Commercials as entertainment have tremendous value. There will always be ad supported media, as there will always be someone willing to pay some price to be affiliated with somebody else’s brand, or to speak directly to somebody else’s customers. When I was growing up, there was the constant conversation in the background that my favorite childhood TV shows- Transformers and GI-Joe were really half-hour long commercials for the toys. Soap Operas got their name because their primary sponsors originally were soap companies. We will, I believe, continue to see a merging of the offline and online.
We want the entertainment. Cheap. For that, we are generally willing to pay dearly in wasted time.
The formula for a good advertisement is still there. I suspect we will be seeing more minute to 2 minute commercials, which are better for quality storytelling, as evidenced by the allegedly sold out 2012 Big Football Game (no, they haven’t been sold out at anything approaching full price since at least 2006, likely earlier). The rumor on why that is, is that 2012 many advertisers bought 1 to 2 minute spots.
In order to tell meaningful stories.
That we might care about.
Care enough about to remember.
Care enough about to act on.
That doesn’t come without art, and doesn’t come with simply splashing a logo on the screen for a mechanically recorded, but mentally ignored ‘repetition’.
