Last month, I had a hugely entertaining time talking over the big issues facing the advertising industry. Was this around a boardroom table? No. Was it in a smoke-filled room? Not on your life. It was where it should be, out in the open for everyone to hear, and it was on the FOX Business Network. When people tell me that television is dead, I reach for my remote. I’ve had a fantastic response to that one short interview. TV is still the best and fastest way to make powerful emotional connections. As a way to present ideas, it is unparalleled as long as your ideas are clear, focused and make sense fast.
For us, times aren’t tough, they’re exciting. In our industry, most of us are faced with a simple proposition: change or become irrelevant.
We’ve chosen to change. The digital revolution is the best thing that has ever happened to us. For a start, it has meant that the average age of our staff is now around 27. These are all people who grew up in the digital age. Give them a fountain pen and they’ll just squirt ink on the floor trying to figure out what it is. They don’t find advertising a risky profession to join. All they see are opportunities to do cool stuff that they never believed possible. It has never been easier to attract great talent into our business. Make a movie, develop a computer game, collaborate with feature film directors, dance with wolves. Their horizons are as big as they want to push them – and you sure won’t see me fencing them in.
