The Advertising Comeback

Mitch Joel mentioned this briefly on his Six Pixels of Separation blog:

Marketing is going to become the primary driver and advertising – while still being a critical part of the marketing mix – will play a less significant role.

I don’t think he’s entirely right.  Yes, marketing and advertising are no longer synonyms.  Yes, advertising has dipped in popularity and buzz among marketers.

But look at it this way.  The writing is on the wall; video is next.  Consumers of cable have been long demanding Video on Demand, and the internet is the medium which will finally deliver.  The internet, however, is a mess.  Content can be made by anybody (with a wide variety of skill and expertise).  As more creators begin producing video, there is going to be strong demand for video advertisements, as business models will rely on them.

The Text Link

Text ads on YouTube.

Text links worked great on Google.  AdWords is so simple, literally my mom can do it.  But are text ads placed over top of video really effective?  People watching video are self-selecting themselves as those not interested in interacting.  They want to watch.  During the video, I would expect very little clicking.  If afterward, instead of “related videos” you saw a screen with a link to buy the music in the video, a link to the products which were placed in the video, I think those are more likely to be clicked.  The viewer has to do something, they might as well get that song they enjoyed.

Producing a video advertisement takes considerably more skill (you’d have to have them for longer content).  While this won’t prevent amateurs from trying, the gulf between an effective text-only ad and an effective video ad is gigantic.  Read a book on AdWords and you’re a pro.   Read a book on video production, and you’re an amateur who’s read a book on video production.

The Role of the Agency

This is where the agency comes back in.  Producing professional video ads will require professionals.  I’m convinced of it.

Advertising will likely be the most easily influenceable component of a marketing strategy.

The social marketing aspect will require customer experience worth talking about.  While marketing firms can do that too (the Old Spice Man), the easiest way is to have a superior product and fantastic customer service.