Adland_ Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet - James P. Othmer [97]
The Future of Advertising Is in the Hands of a Young Man Doing a Product Demo for Shampoo in a Rural Market in India
While China dominated the stage at the seminars, India (the fastest-growing free-market democracy in the world) had a breakthrough year at the awards ceremonies. With twenty-three Lions (its previous best was twelve in 2006), including a Grand Prix for its moving “Lead India” campaign, India served notice to the ad world that it was, in the words of the festival’s CEO, Philip Thomas, “an awakening giant of creativity.”
Considering that India is home to some 1.13 billion human beings, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. But multinational marketers looking to crack the code in India should note that turning a profit there, despite its size, is considerably more complex and difficult than it seems. Why? Start with sixteen languages, 432 dialects, limited broadband, and a 40 percent illiteracy rate. Then, after taking into account a 70 percent rural population who live in remote, difficult-to-reach villages that some are calling “the great rural mall,” retailers may want to rethink their traditional media approach and partner with an Indian agency before proceeding.
Or at least wait until next year, when Goh and Vacchiano of Grupo Consultores will follow up their report on China with a massive survey on advertisers in India.
The Future of Advertising Is Already Five Minutes Old
After seven eighteen-hour days in Cannes, dozens of parties and seminars, and on-the-record conversations with more than a hundred people, I reckon I still missed more than two-thirds of the events, each of which no doubt staked its own proprietary claim to the Vision for Advertising Yet to Come.
One thing is strikingly clear: there truly is a creative revolution under way in advertising. But to say that advertising’s future is all about digital would be as misleading as to say it will have nothing to do with television. Sure, digital will figure prominently, but the future also must include a comprehensive reimagining of myriad other media and elements that will complement and combine with digital. The most futuristic platforms will be remixed and served up alongside the most archaic, analog huckster media. The fusion of viral video and social networking with scavenger hunts, sandwich boards, and, yes, public-bathroom drops is only the beginning.
Skeptics who feel the digital/creative revolution won’t work with or doesn’t apply to packaged goods need only consider the recent history of the world’s largest and most scientifically astute advertiser. Five years ago Procter & Gamble, a company whose advertising (including an $8 billion annual spend in the United States) was hardly synonymous with awards shows, sent a delegation to Cannes to learn about creativity. Then they went back to Cincinnati and broke creativity down as only P&G can to see how improved creativity could be leveraged against its global brands. Specifics of what they learned—other than, one presumes, that creativity sells—are unclear. But last year, P&G won fourteen Lions at Cannes. This year it was named Cannes Advertiser of the Year, as the company that best inspires innovative marketing and creativity among its agencies. Which tells us something.
Staid, venerable, focus-group-driven P&G had seen the future of advertising. And if the company’s actions are any indication, whether it’s called immersive, viral, digital, or interactive, that future better be damned entertaining.
So this is the future I managed to glimpse in seven concentrated days through the eyes of a specific past.
Soon, no doubt, it will all change. It will evolve and morph. As you read this, the most astute advertisers are already attempting to glean fresh truths from our most recent behavioral