What if we reinvented advertising?

A few weeks ago, while using his mobile phone, my son was interrupted by an ad video. My daughter, who was nearby, had an interesting remark: “Do they really believe we will buy their products when they disrupt us in the middle of our game?”

While we know that game creators include ads in free games to earn some money, it’s mainly the advertisers that I find hard to grasp. Does this approach still truly work? Have you ever seen an ad that was longer than the video you wanted to watch on Youtube or Dailymotion? I could still mention the movie theater ads even if you paid for the ticket, the ones that pop up during your favorite show,.

Enduring as a punishment, ads in these cases are interruptions, they are invasive, irritating, often too lengthy.. According to a study done by Motorola in 2012, 68% of folks who record TV shows skip commercials. The typical click-through rate on Internet banner ads is just 0.2%.

Ads are everywhere!

What do we think about excessive emails that end up in our inboxes? There are those that come from signing up for a newsletter, which means we wanted to stay updated, and there are others that fill the Spam section of our email accounts.

Turn your employees into ambassadors on social networks

The modern shopper has changed the way they buy. Advertising still holds some level of influence and especially a significant impact when shown in large media but has lost its appeal. Businesses keep using this form of communication out of habit, either for convenience or because it’s how we have always done things, and it is a big mistake.

How many advertising messages and requests do you receive in a day? Think about it: the radio, newspapers, internet, public billboards, television and those scattered more or less discreetly throughout your entertainment, represent thousands of daily connections that all aim to unleash your desire to purchase.

Towards an “Uberization” of advertising?

Could it be that we are witnessing the decline of an entire branch of Marketing? Could this be the end of Marketing that imposes itself, that respects nothing, that inflicts frustration on the viewer? Is it possible that our major agencies don’t see the inevitable coming?

How to successfully present a new idea?

I really think advertising will experience a wind of change in the next ten years. This review is necessary and also useful for the message that companies want to convey. Today we can afford to be creative, we have the largest and most interesting playground that marketing professionals have ever known, we have an incredible plurality of media. From then on we will no longer be able to afford to make «advertising» without intelligence like the one we consume every day, despite ourselves.

Of course, in terms of form, there are still plenty of thoughtful, creative, and enjoyable ads to watch. Unfortunately this is not the majority. But it is not so much the form of advertising that I point the finger at, as you will have understood, but rather its invasive nature.

For several years we have been witnessing a renewal of Marketing. Seth Godin’s writings, Inbound Marketing, Social Media have brought a breath of fresh air and, above all, a different interaction with the consumer. Less boasting, less interruptions and above all the philosophy of “Will you allow me?” »

Would you give me your attention?

As Seth Godin says in his blog, I can’t have your attention. I can lure her, conquer her or clap her hands to take you away from what you are doing and bring you to me. It is important to remember that Marketing is not advertising, fortunately it is not limited to this. It is often compared to this but it is very reductive. Communication itself is not advertising, advertising is only one aspect of it.

Inbound marketing is looking for new ways to grab the consumer’s attentionto attract him to himself, without disturbing him. For this, and this is what hinders a large number of marketing services, you will have to give up. Yes, come on. Free.

Share part of your experience through your blog or on your YouTube channel. Give the gift of the opportunity to listen to your latest album for free. Bring entertainment (which is what advertising should still be about instead of awkwardly selling us products). The best way to get someone’s attention is to give them something (our wives know this ;-).

We recently moved and I was finally able to create my own vegetable garden. I had been waiting for this for a few years, I knew absolutely nothing about it but the desire to see fruit and vegetables grow in my garden fascinated me, not to mention that it is a hobby that clears the mind. While I’ve definitely made some mistakes, I’ve avoided quite a few thanks to branding or mass distribution channels that produce engaging and educational content. I happened to find flashcodes on some products that allowed me to use them better.

There’s a lot to do and you can offer a 360-degree experience that includes your site, your YouTube channel, a print insert, a display of your products, etc. Today interactivity is everywhere. Laptops, smartphones, wifi on every street corner, connected watches, there are many uses to invent!

What if we (re)did Marketing?

As I said above, marketing is not advertising. Marketing is what you do, how and why you do it. It depends on how you talk about it and the price you put on it. It’s important to restore value to what you do.

Marketing should produce value. Marketing should change the world for the better, not just enrich and bring prosperity to a few on the planet. It’s another matter, it’s true and my idea is not to build to get nothing in return, but I sincerely believe in value marketing that puts people at the center of its circuit.

Advertising is not over but it needs to be rethought. It has taken up too much space to be truly effective and only those who really manage to position themselves differently emerge. Which brands and marketing teams will be able to make us dream again, focusing less on «having» and more on «being»?