TwoCents | The True Art of Advertising is Dead! (Part 1)

I dare digital marketers or social media managers to argue with me on this. I was born, bred, and established in advertising, this is the first line of my bio on my portfolio and it is the truest statement I have ever made. I was born at the age when people who worked in advertising were some of the coolest people to walk the face of the business world. A time when people sacrificed their personal and family time to tell their client’s brand stories and create unified beautiful memories for customers that lasted the test of time. Time when visiting my father’s agency was the most exciting thing for me as a young child and watching them work would always make me marvel.’ Advertising is no longer what it used to be. I can say this over and over again…I weep when I see billboards or hear radio adverts these days…Like ‘how on earth did we get here’. I am tempted to drag brands but I’ll leave that for another post. It is almost depressing to watch the creative ingenuity that used to dwell in the world of advertising fall so badly; to see how real creativity has been replaced for mediocrity and how visual craftsmanship has been discarded because everyone is busy chasing after algorithms and big data or how people who have no business leading agencies, people who are simply voracious consumers of the internet and loud noise makers on social platforms have designed themselves ‘digital marketers’ and are dragging the art down to the mud. When my dad and I talk about work these days, our stories would always start with ‘back in the days’ and end with ‘oh the good old times’ because there is hardly anything new to stand as a reference for good and proper advertising. Some brands are trying their best, struggling and holding onto the thin threads left of what advertising used to be but really, in all truth, the true art of advertising is dead. The advertising that brought us memorable and iconic campaigns has been upended and now we are left with the low effort, low budget, ‘how hard can it be’ campaigns that reveal how truly the mighty men of advertising have fallen. How the advertising industry used creative imagination to achieve commercial impact was something we used to be in awe of. How bright minds would gather, tell stories, and dig deep into their repertoires to harness craft and skills that gave us things to laugh at, to cry at, and to remember for good. The ads back then were more than ads, they were exceptional pieces rich in art, storytelling, and innovation that left lasting impressions. They entertained, informed, and influenced changes in their time. Think of Mama Do Good- Indomie1 or "Papilo" by Peak when they harnessed the story of a young man who rose from grass to grace and infused it into the reality of so many Nigerians that it felt so much like drinking peak milk was all we needed in life to make it. Remember ‘Boom sha sha" by Mimee Noodles or "To me, to me" by Indomie. The ad was more than just a sales pitch for Indomie but a relatable idea about making the world a better place. Many children and adults who downloaded the jingle solely for listening enjoyment were motivated by it, and the sound of that music continues to this day to bring back pleasant recollections of earlier times. What about Step by Step" by Blue Band, this stirs so many memories that sometimes you are moved to tears. There is"Cowbell our milk" by Cowbell or "B without BB" by Blue Band. Oh…the good old times!Now, I am not done...there's a whole lot to be said about this topic...stay tuned for the second part!

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