:: adgruntie :: Economist, SB ads, and duh

+ Economist billboards- the new crop of ads includes one execution where there is no mention of the magazine/newspaper- not even a logo. Just the image of Brains from The Thunderbirds on their trademark red background.

+ New Ford ads same old baloney. "Or as the spot's unctuous, phony voiceover puts it: "As long as you keep your promises and never lose sight of your goals, your dreams are just around the corner." Ad copy doesn't get any closer to baloney than that."

+ A-B has bought 5 minutes of Super Bowl ad time as of October 11th. "With a $2.4 million to $2.5 million asking price for a 30-second spot, A-B may have already committed $24 million to $25 million for Super Bowl ads. So far, Fox has sold about 65 percent of its ad time for the Feb. 6 game. Other reported buyers include PepsiCo, Ford Motor Co., Universal Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures and CareerBuilder.com."

+ Adjusting to the reality of a consumer-controled market, Scott Donaton takes a look at what marketers are doing and finally realizing. The power is in the hands of the consumers. Funny how it's some big revolation. It's always been true. Before TiVo and other similar devices, there was always the remote control...which people seem to have forgotten. One click of a button and your ad is no longer on the TV screen. One turn of the dial and your radio ad is off the air. One flip of a page and your print ad is ignored or not read.

"General Motors' Roger Adams, noting the automaker's experimentation with less-intrusive forms of marketing, said, "The consumer wants to be in control, and we want to put them in control." Echoed Saatchi & Saatchi chief Kevin Roberts, "The consumer now has absolute power.""

Uh, yah, they've always had the power. Marketers- this is nothing new! The consumer has always wanted control and been in control. Why has it taken so darn long for people to realize this is beyond me. It's quite obvious. Even if you're using an "intrusive marketing model" the consumer still has the ultimate control- they can ignore your efforts, they can decide *not* to buy your product, they can do as they please. And always have. No matter what efforts you use, in the end, the consumer is the one who makes the decision to either lay down their cash, or walk away. And it has always been so.