Author: Innovation, conversations future of ads

Social media and Web 2.0 applications continue to force changes upon the advertising industry. The economy is not helping.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future of advertising lately. It started with Jason Falls wondering “Is the future of advertising public relations?”

Falls was kind enough to incorporate my response into a guest post on Social Media Explorer.

This inquisition into the future of advertising continued with my interview with Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts.

Always the optimist, Roberts says advertising is the most fun it has even been.

Never one to forget a topic quickly, I’m launching a semi-regular series on the future of advertising. I’ll attempt to have a new post here each Tuesday.

Special thanks to the first interviewee, University of Oregon Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising, Deborah Morrison, Ph.D.

Morrison is a distinguished educator and researcher, and you can find her former students working in the top advertising agencies in the world.

Dr. Morrison’s research encompasses creativity and social responsibility, an often overlooked aspect of paid persuasion.

If you’re looking for a career in advertising, Morrison can help. She is the co-author of Idea Industry: How to Crack the Advertising Career Code, which is available at online booksellers, including Amazon.com.

1) How optimistic are you about the future of paid advertising?

Morrison: Optimistic, yes. But fully aware that we’re in a shift right now. Reinvention of business models and new creative approaches are part of the quest for solutions. We’re already finding new ways to communicate brand messages + conversations … this will increase. Paid will still happen but we’ll see innovation.

2) What is the most interesting trend you see in digital media?

Morrison: Though so much is happening, I see a real value and investment in the ability to produce and disseminate quickly. That we are all content producers and carve out a name with our work on so constant a basis is pretty amazing. Anything is possible. It also says that the bar for paid content is higher.

3) What lessons from advertising past can we apply to the future?

Morrison: It all tracks back to compelling stories that offer authenticity and meaning to our lives. The best stuff, the most resilient and memorable all had heart — humor, insight on the human condition, wisdom, honesty — and that should still be the flag that good work carries.

4) How do you see advertising education changing?

Morrison: Slowly. Ad education — most of academe for that matter — isn’t good at being visionary. We’re slow to react, and often faculty are slow to learn. When it does happen in the right way, we’ll see creativity and strategy working together in smart alignment. It won’t be about “click here” classes, it will be the wise confluence of using the interesting skills students come in with, adding a strong dose of critical thinking and creativity, and then training faculty to be proactive about what the profession needs. I hope we can do it.

5) What advice do you have for students graduating in a recession?

Morrison: The advice that a great creative director — Joyce Thomas of McCann — told me when I asked the same question: be indispensable. If you’re a writer or art director, be creative and strategic and ready to produce work of meaning that solves business problems. If you’re a media planner or account planner, be creative and ready to invent. If you’re an account person, be a specialist in collaboration and getting great work produced. The “yes we can” attitude isn’t just a campaign slogan, it’s a way of life. It comes down to operating beyond obligation.

You can follow Deb Morrison on Twitter!

Tagged as: 5 Questions, Advertising, careers, future of advertising