The Advertising Brand is in Trouble

Advertising Age is having a poll this week that asks "Does the advertising industry have an image problem?"  OK, that's kind of a silly question isn't it?  It's like asking if Tom Cruise currently has a problem with his image.

But maybe the question does need to be answered.  As of now, 85% of Advertising Age readers say yes.  So what's the problem?

I won't go into it in detail becuase a while back,  I expressed my thoughts about this topic here and here

But I will say this:  It's ironic that the one industry which is all about brands—has itself a brand identity crisis.

Comments

[Todd W.]

What's truly ironic is that the quole question was framed by "image". This leads one to think that the industry is merely misunderstood and the solution is one of better communication. The advertising industry's "image problem" is a symptom of much deeper issues, the fact that it basically deals strictly with image and ideas and has little or no impact (or interest) in behaviors. As a result, it becomes les and less useful to its clients, regardless of image perception.

[DA]

Todd,

That's a really good point. Value seems to come up a lot these days when we talk about advertising. But image and perception are part of the equasion because it affects the people who might actually be able to provide value in advertising, but opt to pursue a different career because of the perception.

Agreed, it's a symptom of deeper issues.

[Andrew C]

Lawyers and advertisers have the same problem. Whether or not the profession itself is noble, one of the most effective ways to win in the profession is to lie through your teeth on a regular basis. Whether you're selling a product or a criminal, the pitch works better if the inconvenient reality is ignored. This is a fundamental characteristic of the profession that the public is quite aware of, and no amount of branding can undo it. The level at which healing needs to happen is much much deeper.