Did Mad Men die?
The article was originally published in the September edition of the BizLife portal.
We would like to thank the colleagues and friends for inspiration and space to express ourselves.
If we look at average “Mad Men” through the lens of constant changes around us, we realize what kind of problems they encounter. On the one hand, the world of marketing has never been more dazzling and captivating. On the other, little of significance has changed since the times Don Draper walked the Manhattan, passionately chain-smoking and praying on anything wearing a skirt. This continuity persists in spite of constant mirage, the notion of this profession being utterly cool.
The old conventional wisdom we all know. We act based on research and belief in the creative team, which materializes the campaign concept while comfortably tucked in lazy bags. It routinely develops a TV advertisement (TVC) weighing six figures. After that, the ad is aired throughout the season, hopefully under good terms for those expensive seconds. This execution stage is followed by the deployment of outdoor solutions, print publications, and native articles. Bits and pieces get uploaded online as well.
If you are running a campaign for a mass consumer product, such as butter, you have a chance to throw in an event as well, let’s say a hot sandwich-making contest. A team of journalists clashes spears with the team of celebrities. Media outlets that garner good relations with the client cover the whole event. As an icing on the marketing cake, you have influencers waking up in the morning, yet looking fresh and pleasant. From the comfort of their picture-perfect homes, they are getting ready for a yummy breakfast and checking out what is up.
At the same time, Don Draper spends cozy days in the world’s biggest retirement home in Florida. Through the room window, he can see gleaming glass surfaces of business skyscrapers that are home to marketing agencies and corporations of today.
For him, life simply goes on.
Power to the People
If we take into account real-world evidence, we are all actually influencers. This is true regardless of whether we have thousands of social media followers or none at all. The truth is you will go to a summer holiday destination your wife’s neighbor recommended over a morning coffee. Your father-in-law will try to persuade you to vote for the….beeeep… Before you put that cross mark on the betting ticket, you will ask a local guy for advice. You know the kind that practically lives in the betting shop and eats and breathes football.
Projecting #influence is the ability to move others to action and change their perception and behavior. As such, influence is as old as human society. It’s what we, Mad Men, have been trying to subtly exert, convincing people to use a particular detergent, potato chips, mobile plan, bank, etc.
Mad Men in the World of Influencers
Nowadays, smartphones, radio, TV stations, and billboards are part of our daily reality.
At all times, hundreds of thousands of content pieces are being published on social media. Brands and companies are reaching for the stars, but also getting dragged through the mud, without any respect or hesitation. New trends, delicious food, fancy clothes, cool music, appealing sports— they are all found and pioneered on the street, exotic gateways, and even favelas.
Millennials are at the forefront of this boom. Born in the span from 1985 to 2005, they are between 15 and 35 years old now. They know what they want, and they are vocal about it too. Social media is the platform they use to express their opinion. For them, a smartphone is an absolute must-have, just like a stable internet connection. They effortlessly create and share content across social platforms. Their faith resides in user-generated content (UGC), posts crafted by social media users themselves.
This is their primary source of information. They pay no heed to TVCs airing for weeks, months, and years on repeat. The TV medium, in general, is of little interest to them. And why would it be with YouTube and other grassroots entertainment platforms and portals existing?
These channels are go-to places for inspiration, facts, and figures.
Not only that, but millennials are also interesting to examine from an economic standpoint. According to statistics, they spend much money on expensive things. Due to this inclination, they are susceptible to this type of (influencer) marketing. The numbers don’t lie, and they suggest UGC brings considerable success, especially among millennials. Just take a look at Tesla and Apple: they are present on social media, even though they neglect the official accounts a bit.
Millennials are the first truly global generation, and the biggest challenge the marketing industry faces. They are precisely to “blame” for the creative transformation marketing is undergoing. This process will amount to a change of the most massive magnitude, at least until the generation Z comes about to claim the throne. We are becoming more than content creators and promoters— we are motivators behind uploads and shares on the social web. We can assume this role by winning the hearts and minds of people.
A few years ago, I had another opportunity to witness the power of UGC, while working on the #MySerbia campaign for the National Tourism Organization of Serbia. Instead of creating content aimed at engaging travel bloggers visiting Serbia ourselves, we called upon the community. It would lead the endeavor on a crowdfunding basis.
It played out like this.
Community members recommended their favorite activities and places in Serbia. Then, here at Homepage, we prepared the popcorn and watched over 2,000 participants uploading more than 9,888 beautiful photos of Serbia. We did work our fingers to the bone trying to animate them, but it paid off any way you slice it.
Mental rather than Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is a buzzword we hear uttered across industry sectors, including the world of marketing.
Namely, marketing corporations employ trainers within their ranks, and these individuals travel around the world. Smaller firms hire and learn from local experts. But, despite transformation being imminent, there is one missing aspect, which is of paramount importance. I call it a mental transformation.
So, are we undergoing a digital mental transformation in the industry?
Judging from the two-year experience of acting as a jury member for the most important marketing award contests in Serbia, I can say that sadly, I don’t see it. I read more than 150 admitted works and went over as many explanations, but only one remains in my memory. In my opinion, this piece was in line with the requirements of the times we live in.
I’m talking about “VIP tongue twisters” that represent UGC. They were gathered from the place people spend most of their time today— the internet. From this starting point, the candidate created a TVC, following everything “that the gods of marketing” command. The work comes full circle by the end, back to the foundations of UGC and the internet.
I am aware many days will roll by until things start picking up. Nevertheless, we need to think bolder and act up. We owe it to Don Drapers, who should finally be allowed to rest in peace.
