Posted by Why is it that so many advertising professionals eventually retire and become consumer advocates?
Are they atoning for their sins? This is the commonly held perception. I didn’t get into the marketing industry to make consumers feel "less than" unless they bought the products or services that I was representing. I got involved in marketing, because I enjoy the practice of better understanding human nature, why we buy and how can we better inform people to make decisions that are more aligned with their goals and values. It’s not always easy. For a long while, I have been a fan of the philosopher and writer, Alain de Botton (you can read more here: Job Snobbery). In a The Huffington Post piece titled, An Ethical Advertising Agency, de Botton wonders why there isn’t a different kind advertising agency. One that doesn’t try to sell us things that we don’t need, but rather, "one that would use the aesthetic talents of advertising but direct these to a really grand and noble project: that of nudging us to be the best of ourselves. Imagine an ethical advertising campaign that wanted to promote virtues of character applicable and relevant to our own lives, virtues like kindness, patience, humility, generosity, courage and humour."
It’s an important read. Click on his article above and read the whole thing.
Once you’re done reading his column, please watch this…
Now, it’s your turn… is this a dream or is this something that might actually work?
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I think that the first thing Ad Agencies are requested for is to hide troubles of brands and products and to show qualities they often don’t have. That’s unfair, but our clients often don’t want us to be fair and none of us is in the position to fight this point of view. Why? Because people want to show what they are not and to hide who really are. Do you think people who wear a Prada’s pair of shoes would be more happy knowing that they have paid 200$ for a stuff whose real value is not more than 10$? Certainly not, because they don’t love Prada because it is beautiful but because it’s expensive and to have something really expensive allows you to show off how reach you are.
I really do agree with your and De Bottom’s point of view, nevertheless I think the concept must be addressed more to consumers than to producers and Agencies.