Once upon a time, dinosaurs were fooling around and eating alive all kinds of preys. They were big, fierce, almost invulnerable. Until they extinct. Among the few extinction theories – asteroid collision, climate change, geomagnetic reversal, my favorite one is the least in which dinosaurs became too heavy to move and, unable to adapt, died from starvation.
This little dino story occured to me when I was attending a conference about online advertising. See any direct relation ? No? Well I wish I haven’t either but I did.
Now I know I write in a playful tone but it’s not funny. I had gone all the way through Shanghai to Pudong (in which I was lost on my way back to downtown), let my team struggle with an incalculate number of issues, made phone calls on the back of the cab for what? Hear a guy proudly introduce intrusive banners on a ppt.
“This kind of ad is very effective”
he declared, pushing a button to play a video in which a Chinese robot-like male voice proclaimed a slogan. The whole room listened religiously and some nodded. I don’t know how many of you actually listen to these kinds of video ads. Personally I hate any unsolicited noise coming from my screen – and I like to think I’m not the only one.
At first I thought he was joking. This is Shanghai 2009, come on! I was waiting for him to introduce other advertising models. To say, maybe, “Brands, here are also some other ways to engage with your audience“…He did not. And I’m talking about the head of a big advertising agency in China.
Does the dinosaurs allegory make sense now?
Some big advertising agencies are dinosaurs. The T-Rex and his pals were having a good time when they were eating out big budgets from big companies. But then, a magnetic pole reversal occured as new e-marketing practices came in the picture. Some dinos are too slow to move. Now there is a crisis big time out there (asteroid collision, climate change anyone?) and companies are more cautious, more demanding about their investment.
If advertising companies don’t reverse their own poles, they won’t adapt. And it will be, I predict! the extinction of Badvertising. Finally..
Meanwhile, small, light creatures companies able to keep on innovating are under the big brands radar and thus, surviving.
To be continued…
Your dinosaurs allegory make complete sense… actually I believe that just as darwinism brought down the dinosaurs (with the help of an asteroid) I think certain Agencies and even some online publishers head into extinction… if they don’t recognize the need for change.
Adopt or perish …
You can also check out some of my other points that support your story on: Digital Marketing Inner Circle. (http://www.sinotechblog.com.cn)
Cheers
Matt
Thanks for your comment Dr McDougall
Darwinism will certainly bring down some agencies and some publishers, hopefully to let better species and creation florish
That’s the story of humanity :
At the end, it’s not the strongest who survive but the highly adaptable one…
Evolution is the imperative; I think these banner guys will always be around, but it must be hard to feel their ad method slipping from #1 – people are too savvy, and its getting pretty obvious that banners don’t work. However learning the new process is slow slow slow; there is still room for these dinosaurs yet; but I agree at some point they’ll be reduced to insects.
your T-rex theory is definitely eye-catching and I like it! Big creatures are slow to move while some small species are quickly adapting and thriving in the new age.
However, I would really love to see a well-all-around world where all, big or small, find their way out.