Advertising used to be so easy: You write a cool tagline, develop a cool commercial, make sure all communications surrounding the commercial is integrated and then hope for the best. You worked for a great agency when you were thinking about the client goals throughout the creation process. You worked for a mediocre agency when everybody just cared about the awards and recognition. And you worked for a real crapshop when everybody was just thinking about their paycheck.

Ob boy, things have really changed. Now, agencies have to deliver experiences that improve people’s lives and, at the same time, make sure to help their clients with the bottom line. Thinking about awards shouldn’t even make the Top 10 list anymore.

In the old days, we tried to build emotional connections through funny 30-second sketches and innovative imagery. Today, we build emotional connections by helping people solve their problems: The widget displaying real-time traffic on your desktop, easing your commute and saving nanoseconds because you don’t have to type the URL. The Pizza Builder that makes the ordering process less arduous and so much more enjoyable. The Facebook CarPool application that helps people to connect with each other to reduce the their carbon footprint and get from A to B quicker.

The flashy ad doesn’t work anymore. People have moved on a while ago. Today, businesses build emotional connections  through utility. Make my life easier, more enjoyable, more experiential. Give me stories and memories to share, develop something special for me. Show that you understand me. Show that you don’t want to pollute my life with more noise. Show that you care about me. That’s how you develop connections and relationships.
And make people care about you.

Traditional campaigns felt to people like politics to Iowans: They get bombarded with messages for a specific period of time, just to hear nothing and be completely forgotten once the campaign has ended.

This might have made sense in an analog world but it makes absolutely no sense in a digital world: The widget you created 2 years ago is still alive and well on many desktops. Your videos are scattered all over the digital landscape. Games. Banners. Emails. Everything you create in a digital world lives on. Forever.

The new marketing reality forces brands to rethink their campaign strategy: Media and/or Creative used to be the foundation of each campaign. Not anymore. Platforms are king. Platforms should be at the center of each and every campaign. They can be part of your own platform or dedicated platforms outside of your own brand platform, such as YouTube channels or Facebook groups. These platforms need to allow for adjustments, adaptations and improvements.

Just like the corporate site, brand platforms need constant nurturing and a strong commitment from brands. They are not mini sites that will become irrelevant once the campaign ends. Instead, their goal is to create a welcoming home and engage people 24/7 in a conversation.

Ask yourself: Who would you vote for? The candidate that throws a huge bash every 2 years, not to be seen again for another 730 days? Or would you choose the candidate that converses with you through your favorite channels (Email, Town hall meetings, Phone calls, etc) on an ongoing basis, always accessible, always ready to listen to your concerns? The ongoing dialogue and nuturement is what people are looking for. Or they will move on.

Dear Mr. Oscar,

happy birthday. You’ve lived a long life and shared with us many beautiful moments. But it’s time to get the Ginseng root out and stop acting your age:

Watching the Academy Awards has become a borefest. We’re all waiting for moments (Jack Palance one-armed push-ups, streakers, whatever) but instead we get songs and dances and ‘I want to thank the Academy’ speeches.

Mr. Oscar, you’re suffering from a problem shared by many businesses: You don’t listen.

How many of us complained about the length of the show? 4 hours is even too long for a Super Bowl. 8 hours if you count the pre- and post-event coverage. Do we really need to see all the songs? Wouldn’t a medley do it? How about all the smaller awards? Animated Short, for example. Is there a way to give the nominees a decent platform without boring us to death? Acceptance speeches - Does everybody have to thank the Academy and forget the rest of their speech?

Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Oscar, all award shows are facing a tough future: It used to be good enough to have the likes of Amy Winehouse and Brittney Spears on the bill to glue the nation to the TV. YouTube changed the consumption habits: Why wait for Amy Winehouse until 11pm if I can watch it next day rested in the office? The YouTubification makes 4 hours of Academy Awards almost unbearable. While we sit through another ‘Enchanted’ song we feel life slipping way: I could have read the Sunday NY Times, a book, my toaster manual - anything would be better.

What to do? First and foremost - Listen.

Listen to the desires of people why they watch the show. Understand that most people don’t care about 90% of the show. They are looking for the big awards, the big stars colliding, the big moments.

It’s going to be tough, Mr. Oscar. 80 years it’s been all about you. You were the center of the universe, everything revolved around you. Not anymore. People are snacking entertainment, easily distracted, bored. You have to make the show about the people outside of the Kodak Theatre. In this new marketing reality, the less selfish brands become, the more successful they will be.

Mr. Oscar, you had a good run. And I hope the run continues. But you need to change. It’s tough when you’re 80, I know. But you have no choice. Remember silent movies? Just saying.

Good luck!