Christmas? No Adland, no.

Somebody just said it's only 11 weeks to Christmas.
No Adland, no. Please.

No online Christmas videos with staff this year.
Just send a card.

The death of TV pure and simple. New Nielsen data shows Google + Facebook have a higher audience than TV. Ad Agencies need to start diluting TV spend.

Just when TV thought thought recent reports went unnoticed about their demise....along comes another Car crash.

Following my blog on Monday (which is below this) which highlighted those recent shocking data reports about the demise of TV - through a collapse in ratings, a collapse in subscribers and bizarrely, rising Ad costs - another credible piece of research worsens TV's pain. Both are based on facts and that's what's causing all the trouble. Facts.

This time it might be terminal.

Credible research, because it's current (November 2013) but completely credible because it's from Nielsen - as I often say, the doyenne of TV research. This to be fair is brave by Nielsen because in effect, they are shooting themselves in the foot. But the truth will out.

Facebook AND Google active monthly users, are both going to take over from TV in total reach. That means, more people use Google and Facebook, than TV. 435 million as against 294 million. That's a HUGE difference.

It is the death of TV, nothing less.

Google and Facebook combined, both already have a much larger audience than TV, but of course, there will be duplication between Google and Facebook users.

And yet, time and time again I've said it, Media buyers are spending significantly more of their budgets on TV. Over 55% goes on TV. 

Why oh why? 

Laziness? Sweetheart back end margin deals? What can be the reason for these supposed data-driven buyers? How can the dominant continued use of TV on a Media schedule, to the detriment of online, be justifiable?

And I do understand how it works, having recently owned the biggest media buying Agency in Ireland. But I cannot for the life of me, understand why it's still going on? Perhaps old habits die hard....but it is now, indefensible.

A UK TV Station (UTV) has recently announced plans to start broadcasting in Ireland with all the expense that goes with it. 

With these results now, they might be better off, opening a Facebook page.

Publicis + Omnicom merge Sunday. One response to the ongoing march of digital?

The merger announced yesterday of the 2nd and 3rd largest Ad Agencies, Publicis and Omnicom, is indicative of the threat of digital.

You'll note the PR Merger photo above of both CEO's had the recognisable Arc de Triomphe as a backdrop.....lest anyone be confused who's in charge here. Publicis are a very proud French Group (I worked with them).

Whilst creating the world's biggest Agency Group (leap-frogging WPP's 17 billion), they will have combined revenues of circa 23 billion usd. That's a long way short of Google's 50 billion usd and importantly, both agencies have been able to show little organic growth in a depressed, changing, Ad Agency landscape.

They are established, mature, traditional Ad businesses who are suffering from losses of revenues to digital Agencies and consequently have been showing only single digit growth. Omnicom grew by 2% in the first half whereas Publicis by 1.3% and after suffering a 6%+ decline in Europe.

Their new combined market cap is 35 billion usd whilst Google? 295 billion.

Traditional Ad spending is slowing globally and even in new markets such as Asia and China, only showing 5-7% growth as Clients move away from the traditional Ad and Ad Agency, model. 

From a client viewpoint, the merger does bring more media muscle - bad news for already hard pressed media owners. However, conflict of clients will always be a problem here.

Good creative has nothing to do with size except, a larger Agency will have more creative resources. 

The key to this is the merger savings (estimated at 500 million usd) in an attempt at helping profitability......but that's a lot of pain, a lot of job losses.

Mergers like this, whilst improving shareholders income (both shareholder sets will be 50:50) through cost-savings, does not deal with the core issue - the traditional Agency model is wrong.

Agencies give away their ideas in the hope to profit off the creation and implementation of the work itself. And they continually pooh-pooh digital which clients want, rather than jumping on board.

We will see what happens but in order to achieve those "merger efficiencies" as they say, expect changes at a local country level. Which will mean mergers of local Agencies and redundancies.

But fundamentally it's a response globally to one thing - the ongoing "threat" of digital to Ad Agency revenue. 

A case of, rather merge, than deal with the big issue.....

(Pretty good insight here too from Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-big-downside-to-the-publicis-omnicom-merger-2013-7)

Ad Agencies report online video advertising better than TV. Words are being eaten in this sea change.

There is a sea change in the way that Advertising is changing.

Most Ad Agencies are struggling in their mindset to cope with the switch to digital and trying to recover the reputational damage caused to themselves, by themselves, in early attempts to rubbish it.

It is ironic for me to watch Ad Agencies now claiming to embrace digital, having had years embroiled in debating it with them. Like leopards, they now know where the money is and are desperate to be seen as evangelists, with consequential dire attempts to negate their previous claims of it being, a waste of money. It will be hard to erase their histories on Google though.

Thanks to Mashable today however, they now report that "Advertising executives" admit that the tide of advertising has changed and that online video ads are taking the lead http://mashable.com/2013/05/28/online-videos-tv-advertising/

75% of them said that online video ads are more effective than TV Ads - a drum that Streamabout has been banging for some time. Only 17% said they were "less effective".

The report produced by the reliable 'emarketeer' showed that online video was even more effective than display ads (print ads) and better for direct response. Which it is.

Video views grew by 23% this year - far greater than the declining audience on TV and it will continue to bury traditional TV broadcasters despite their claims. They know it.

Spend on online video is estimated to grow at 40%, outstripping all other media. Except of course, media that embraces online video like newspaper publishers.

It's a sea change alright.
It is, wakey wakey time too.

New Ad Agency launches. Brief them on Twitter, response in 24 hours, 999 dollars on PayPal. Dear oh dear.

A network of Ad Agency creatives in New York have just launched the fastest creative turnaround ever. Using Twitter briefs (that is, 140 characters of a brief, refreshing in itself), they'll respond with ideas (tag lines, communication platforms, stunts etc).

Claiming to be "the fastest Agency in the world" they say clients can say goodbye to "powerpoint decks, long lunches, meetings, to-and-fro emails, inaudible conference calls - I'm with that 100%, consumer focus groups" and so on. 

http://worldsfastestagency.com/ only seek 999 usd paid by 'PayPal' which I assume, you pay in advance. So goodbye too to billing/invoice queries and I assume, goodbye to any problems with the ideas seeing as you'll have paid for them.....

Founded by a 'Floyd Hayes', they're claiming clients including brands such as Unilever, Mini, Levis, HSBC, Vodafone and other blue-chip corporates. Also claiming to be "in short, I develop ideas to sell your stuff" which really does cut to the chase....

And if you look at the Video above, you'll see Floyd is pretty proud of himself. 

Of course, what this all does is further commoditises the work of Ad Agencies - rightly or wrongly - but one lesson that's clear in my experience is that good ideas require one thing. Time.

The longer you have, the better the idea or ideas. And it really is as simple as that. Good ideas rarely, come quickly and certainly in 24 hours, you'll not have something outstanding. Because with any idea, you need time to kick it around.

I can deliver an advertising concept in a minute, but how good will it be? (yeah, yeah, most will say I didn't deliver a good one in 20 years so okay then).

However, being the "fastest" Agency is a positioning which Agency's in the main, lack (they all appear "samey"). Or being the 999 dollar Agency is another positioning. And it grabs the headlines on the likes of 'Mashable' and Advertising publications. 

Fundamentally though, it damages the business of the Ad Agency and demystifies what they do. Floyd would say I'm sure, no bad thing and you know what, he might be right....even if this is a stunt in itself, pure and simple.

What it does point to is the need for big Agencies to stand up for themselves and explain clearly how and what their contribution is in the digital age rather, as they're prone to do, dismissing it. Or they'll keep getting hammered and hammered into a positioning as well-dressed money men with nothing to add.

Or else, Floyd will be rubbing his hands.

Dove Real Beauty Campaign gets a controversial online download. Ad Agencies not happy.

Dove, the Unilever brand, is extending its "real beauty" campaign which launched in 2004 and came to prominence in 2007 at The Cannes Festival.

It's a campaign aimed in part, at the true illustration of women in advertising and in editorial - campaigning against "air brushing". It also seemed to align itself with a campaign against young women identifying with those images and consequently leading to eating disorders amongst teenage girls.

What they've done is to distribute a piece of software ('Photoshop Action') on Social Media sites. Whilst downloading the software pretends to offer better filter images (in an 'Instagram' kind of way) for the photograph, in fact, it reverts the photograph to its original - warts and all.

It is aimed at Art Directors and creatives in Ad Agencies who create advertising featuring beautifully retouched women. And it makes a point.

Needless to say, Ad Agencies aren't happy with the download because it doesn't do what it promised to do. They've hit back at Unilever claiming that the original Dove campaign itself, was photoshopped and they also point to other Unilever campaigns (such as for 'Axe' and 'Fair&Lovely' brands) which features.....beautifully retouched women. Or so they say. Basically, you can't have it both ways....

But the idea of using a download in this way, is clever. Or controversial.
It depends on whatever way you look.

Advertising + Ad Agencies have a future. Google is proving it + this wins at Cannes.

Got a huge response to my post of the weekend about BBH and British Airways. I'm sure just because people wanted to view the commercial but I think also, Ad people like to admire good work. 


Interesting too, that BBH got 2nd place in Cannes as 'Ad Agency of the year' behind Wieden Kennedy. No shame there.


Just two other points about Cannes first : Jack Dorsey (I always thought if I ever wrote a detective novel, he'd be called, 'Jack Dorsey'. Just made for it), the 34 year old founder of the 6 year old Twitter, got 'Media person of the year'.


And mobile ad of the year? It's the one that's all over this blog as you read on.


What's interesting too about the BA commercial was that it premiered on Facebook and not TV - a blending of Social Media.


Now I know what you're going to say about this post because I'm asking you to view a video that's an hour long. Crazy. Who has that time? But perhaps if you want to remain inspired, you will. And it will be worth it. Maybe we all need to take an hour out every now and again to refresh our thinking.


But you know what, so many Agencies don't understand the space. This will show them how it can be used and integrated into traditional advertising. It's magic.


This is Google's "Project brief" which is about taking classic, iconic Ad campaigns of the past, with Agency people of the past, and seeing can they bring them into today. 


I've been following it and the individual/shorter clips are all here. Avis, Alka Seltzer, Volvo and the best of the all, Harvey Gabor for Coke ("I'd like to buy the world a Coke" 1971). Or I think so.


The long version on this blog brings them all together, telling each story and to the unveiling at SXSW. It is the best thing I've seen in advertising in 20 years and Google, are to be applauded (I never really liked them but this propels them in my head).


So here are the 4 individual blogs for each brand. If you're going to watch only one and not the longer video, click Coke (the first one here). But try and watch it. You'll learn from it that if we embrace the technology, we can do amazing work. To embrace the technology, we have to understand it first.


http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/03/ad-agencies-have-future-thanks-to.html
http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/04/avis-we-try-harder-agencies-have-future.html
http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/04/ad-agencies-have-future-thanks-to.html alka seltzer

http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/03/google-classic-ad-campaigns-volvo.html



Hats off Google. You've done a great job here and I hope the Ad Agencies get on board.


Mind you, The Pitch is one of the great TV programmes on-air at the moment. Terrific stuff. Does a great job in showing Ad Agencies to be intelligent thinkers rather than flaky, over paid, traditionalists.


And it's being pulled.


Oh why?
Ad Agencies won't take part in the first place + aren't watching (Nielsen ratings just above zero).


You know what? Stop giving out. We do it to ourselves.