I confess: grudges, jealousy & salesmanship in adland. Part 2

By Gonzalo López Martí         LMMIAMI.COM

• Whether we like it or not, traditional Madison Avenue animals still have a ways to gain the client’s ear.
• Mad Ave still manages to connive clients and co-opt talent, luring them into the swanky yet sinking traditional advertising ship.
• It happens to folks like me all the time, who’s career in the business has transitioned from traditional to digital.
• The more I try to get away from Madison Avenue and delve into new, more thrilling & promising marketing fields, the more it pulls me back in.
• They have that certain je ne sais quoi.
• It ain’t rocket surgery.
• Salesmanship is the key.
• Like any psychobabbling planner can tell you, it’s just a matter of staying slightly ahead of the curve, reading the trades and using the proper terminology, usually rife with pompous bullshit.
• Strategic planning. LOL
• It’s with this uncanny toolbox that traditional agencies still somehow manage to stay ahead of their digital counterparts too when it comes to cozying up to clients.
• Because?
• Mostly due the fact that digital folks confound clients with way too much tech minutiae.
• Mind you, it is NOT an ROI issue.
• ROI & metrics in the digital landscape are way more reliable than the fuzzy smoke & mirrors we still latch onto in the traditional side.
• Even factoring in the blatant fraud that takes place in the digital realm, the reach, audience engagement and targeting techniques of digital campaigns are way more tangible than good ol’ GRPs and assorted guesstimates traditional Madison Avenue relies on, don’t you think?
• Eventually, digital agency execs will learn the right jargon and the right wardrobe and Mad Ave as we knew it will be in deep s**t.
• It’s coming.
• Soon.
• Search & social are massive black holes sucking in a steadily growing share global marketing dollars.
• But we’re not quite there yet.
• In short, Madison Avenue dinosaurs still hold the secret sauce, the recipe to the snake oil.
• We know how to shed our skin periodically and keep clients hypnotized.
• For how long?
• Who knows.
• For now, just don’t tread on us.