There’s never been a more exciting, confusing, and flat-out frightening time to be a professional creative in the advertising industry.
Advertising, as we knew it, is dead.
Print ads and thirty-second television commercials are hopelessly out-of-date. The new emphasis on search engine optimization and iPhone/iPad accessibility has ended the reign of the
‘Big-Budget Flash Site’. Most banner ads have clickthrough rates well below one percent, which makes them as effective as an ant wearing a sandwich board.
John Wanamaker’s famous saying, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” wouldn't even get a laugh in a modern business meeting.
The advertising industry was already competitive enough to give Darwin the shivers. Now it looks like the creative departments of the future will be
crowd-sourced. It’s so bad that the poster-child for adman glory
Alex Bogusky got fed up, dropped out of the industry, and became a
new-age consumer activist.
In spite of all this pressure, or, more likely, because of it, the advertising industry is experiencing a second creative revolution.
The last
creative revolution’s answer was to pair a writer with a designer, remind them that their audience were not complete idiots, and hope for
brilliant results. Today’s adman (or ad-woman) needs to redefine advertising with almost every new assignment.
Advertising has always adopted the latest trends and technology. But it’s never had to make such radical changes so quickly.
Advertising creatives today can’t just be competent writers and designers. They have to be
visionary artists,
social media politicians,
community activists,
PR gurus, and
product designers. If Leonardo da Vinci was around today he’d probably be working at
Goodby Silverstein,
Wieden Kennedy,
R/GA, or
Google Creative Labs.
San Francisco based Art Director
Daniel Pradilla is an excellent example of this new breed of professional creative. His
stunning portfolio is a prime display of effective modern advertising. Pradilla is a talented graphic designer but his core strength is his understanding of how brands can use technology to
empower communities. His work suggests a way for advertising to move forward with integrity, intelligence, and real creativity.
The
Great Recession may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for hungry young creatives. This is their decade. Who will be the next Alex Bogusky? The next
Lee Clow? The next
Mary Wells? Who is going to step up and make the creative heroes of the past look spoiled and uninspired? I look forward to experiencing their work. I hope they prove that
Da Vinci was born in the wrong era.
Moth Hands 2010, Acrylic on canvas over panel, 17 x 15 inches
Sharpshooters 2010, Acrylic on canvas over panel, 42 x 50 inches
Skirmish 2010, Acrylic on canvas over panel, 48 x 60 inches
