Best Medicine

These are tough times in the ad business. How can I tell? Well, for one thing, a lot of people are using forums like this one to say these are tough times in the ad business. That's usually a dead giveaway. Plus, Donny is yelling at people. He's yelling at agencies. He's yelling at conference attendees. I would hate to be Donny's dog right now. But the surest sign of tough times comes from my doctor. During a routine exam a few weeks ago he told me that two of his patients—advertising types—had asked for referrals because they were in need of a little "attic renovation." One had found himself repeating the phrase "media neutral" over and over. The other had smashed his neighbor's TiVo to pieces and then relieved himself on it. As I drove home, I reflected. Is this truly some sort of advertising Gallipoli, or are people overreacting to the normal ebb and flow of the business? Just then a Citi billboard caught my eye. It read, "Happiness isn't something to be put on layaway." That's when it hit me: Maybe, just maybe, the way out of the doldrums lies in the very advertising we create. Think about it. Since Ann Landers died, who dispenses more advice on a daily basis than the ad industry? Dr. Phil? A mere piker compared to us. All we need to do is heed the wisdom of our own words. Take that Citi ad, for instance. Isn't it a clarion call for those who feel burned out, who stack up unused vacation days like firewood and use weekends not to recharge their batteries but to recharge their cell phones and laptops? When I got home I grabbed a pile of magazines, sat in front of my TV and let the ad advice wash over me. Hennessey told me to "Never blend in." Wow. That's exactly what Bill Bernbach said 40 years ago. Dodge then chimed in with "Grab life by the horns." Hasn't Tony Robbins made millions offering advice like this? And here we are, giving it away for free. A Timberland ad with the tagline "Seek out" urged me to head outdoors. So I did. I took out the gar bage. Then I thought about all the creatives who don't feel their work is supported enough. Perhaps they could "seek out" an agency that believes in creativity as a business strategy and not merely as a department. Next, I picked up one of those trendy fashion magazines. Big mistake. Fashion ads don't offer much advice. Or if they do, it's as ambiguous as the sexuality of the models they feature. Caché, for example, told me: "You've been warned." Right. I turned back to the TV, where one of Nissan's new "Shift" ads was playing. "Shift" has great application in today's ad world. As in: Shift from the perception that we're in the service business to the perception that we offer clients a product that can dramatically grow their business. Then, finally, a Nike spot came on. As always, it was smart, engaging, powerful. A lot of people in our business offer cogent speeches and insightful essays urging agencies to be more creative, take more chances, be true client partners. If there ever were a time to "Just do it," it's now. Then the phone rang. It was my doctor. He said my blood pressure was a little high, and he wanted me to come in for a stress test. Hmm, now even that Caché ad makes sense.

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