Four forces that changed advertising forever

Up until a few years ago, advertising had changed little from the days of the Mad Men. But 3-4 years ago, forces started coming into play that fundamentally—and forever—changed the advertising industry.

Evaporating advertising budgets

After the global economic meltdown in 2008, advertising budgets shrunk dramatically. Today, the smaller budgets that remain are being allocated to social media and other online activities. The result is that clients now expect more results with less spending.   

An indomitable media environment 

Media strategy used to be pretty simple until long-tail media options both on- and offline spread target groups paper thin. The days of monolithic blocks of eyeballs are gone forever. 

New consumers

It’s not just that consumers are spending more time online that has shaken the apple cart. It’s that technology has empowered them to choose how they are willing to be addressed by brands. Seth Godin predicted it in 1999 with Permission Marketing. Dis­ruption as a model has been replaced. Today's social media-savvy consumer demands engagement, facilitation and relevance. 

Omnipresent measurability via web analytics

Remember the days when there was only reach and frequency? Say hello to a new world where hundreds of metrics are measured in real-time. No more long-winded soliloquies from agency Creative Directors; You now have Google Analytics to tell you what’s hot and what’s not.

These four forces have changed the fundamental nature of the adver­tising business —for the better. Like it or not, today, agencies are being forced into accountability. They are being forced to provide consumer insights and real strate­gic business solutions. And they are being forced to display creativ­ity in every aspect of the business, not just with their words and images. 

Kevin Duffy is the Creative Director for The Duffy Agency's Boston office.