Abandon Hope all yea who enter Advertising Agencies!

That goes for Clients as well as staff.Because the party is well and truly over.   Although truth be told the advertising agencies are the last ones to realize that fact..A very recent report from America states that “one marketing executive who sees agencies as ‘a necessary evil’, rather than a strategic partner”.   While another marketer complains “Most senior ad execs appear more comfortable with conventional channels, which they claim are integrated because they have tacked on a website!”Meanwhile the latest blue chip gizmo, Social Networking Sites, is falling out of favour.  Clients are experiencing fast diminishing returns on their social networking ad investments.    Users are becoming more or less desensitized to advertising.  One Client claimed “You won’t make money on it.Meanwhile the press continues to give marketing bad coverage.  One leading National newspaper posed the question “What doctrine of marketing teaches that reminding people you won’t answer their question is good PR”?The writer went on to say “I arrived back in London to open a form letter from EDF energy announcing a hike in gas and electricity prices.  It trills about “a range of innovative products” to save energy.  It tells you the old prices.  It is sub-headed: ‘We’re here for you.’”No you *$#-$*# aren’t scream a million householders.  Rage. Red mist.Bad marketing.  I wonder how much did EDF pay consultants to design a communication that opts for exactly the wrong tone?   Repeat three times after me, PR and Marketing gurus:  “Delivering a bad-news message in a good-news voice just enrages people.”Ah but the real problem is the fact that advertising/marketing/PR have dehumanized the whole of the communication process, because they really don’t understand the meaning of the word “communication.”I’m not against marketing and PR, I’m against bad marketing and PR, of which there are heaps of examples around.Then there is the rage against data-creep.    The situation is apparently become so ridiculous that one man tells us what happened at his local DIY store when he declined to give his postcode.   The cashier called the supervisor and they refused to serve him!   This is becoming serious marketing decides to whom they sell their products to…what a wacky way to market products!But the really insane part of all this is the fact that, despite all the emerging evidence that conventional media is failing to get the message across they are planning to place your message on the mobile telephone…what is the wonder of the mobile that makes it more effective than any other (failed) medium?Abandon hope if not anything else, at least that way you’ll save some moneyMeanwhile Clients cannot even expect the respect they deserve when it comes to their relationship with their agency.   The lack of experience in agencies affects business.   IPA director general agrees, “There is a relentless shedding of talent between the ages of 30 and 40 due to pressure on agency costs…the nature of the business is such that to be cost efficient, processes get dumbed down and farmed out to more junior people.  There is a tendency to commodity, and that can lead to work being de-skilled”.So yes, come on Mr. Client, please increase your budget with us this year and we promise to place less talented people onto your account….!Meanwhile back in America, research indicates that consumers now rely less and less on marketing messages when in buying mode whilst another key factor is the proliferation of media choice has consigned the notion of a captive audience to the rubbish bin.A fundamental change in Agency thinking is desperately needed.   The selling of one-size-fits all messages has to go, agencies and creatives are still clinging to the mass model, either to produce messages or distribute them.Hmmm…here’s an interesting headline, “GM clocks up second worst corporate loss”, - now I wonder how much money they will have to spend on marketing/advertising to make it the first worse corporate loss?