What I learned in 2010: “Mad Men” will never replace “ThirtySomething”
December 16th, 2010
When I was in college trying to decide what career path to take, ABC’s TV series “ThirtySomething” pointed the way. Barely in my twenties, I wasn’t thinking much about the importance of family and friends — even if subconsciously it made an impression. But when Michael and Elliot left for work and walked into that agency, something about it excited me. The rest of my career story is history; I’ve been an ad man ever since.
That was the last time advertising as an occupation was successfully portrayed to the masses on the small screen. Then along came “Mad Men”. There once was a time when mindless, “getting to know you” chit-chat started with talking about the weather. Nowadays when someone finds out what I do for a living, I hear “do you watch ‘Mad Men?’”
Read the rest of this entry »
The New Media Planner
June 9th, 2010
Planning today is so much more complex and important than years ago. Back in the day, planners had to answer such simple questions such as where to place ads and how many times it would run a week. Every time I see the media gal make an appearance in AMC’s Mad Men, I just laugh. It was a new concept then, but far from difficult.
Today’s planners must be much sharper and have a greater knowledge of marketing and brand development. The cause of this is the evolution of a single ad campaign to a full marketing concept. Now every media plan will be measured based on how effectively it helps to attain marketing objectives. Another cause of change is the availability of more definitive audience research techniques. Add to this evolution, the boom of the Internet and the ability for the consumer to find, buy and be exposed to thousands of marketing messages a day and you now have a need for a top notch media planner.
Today’s advertisers expect more rationale and a science to the spending of their media dollars. The new planner must possess the marketing, research and creative knowledge to provide this rationale.
There once was a time when running a laundry detergent ad during the weekday when housewives were glued to the tv watching their stories was genius. Those days are long gone and your media planner needs to step it up.
