Why Are Ads So Bad These Days?

When was the last time an ad made your jaw drop?

My guess, it either came from Nike or Amazon.

But in a not too far away past, ads used to make people’s jaws drop ALL THE TIME.

There was a time when at commercial break people would stay put to see what creative short stories would show up in their TVs. Now, it’s become a chance for a bathroom break.

You might say, “well, Super Bowl ads are pretty cool.” They sure are, but they are also filled with celebrities, have immense production budgets, and most brands can’t afford a $7 million 30-second media buy (check out this study in which the authors uncovered that recklessly stuffing celebs into one’s ads actually lead to a decrease in brand recall, also known as the vampire effect).

The golden years of advertising came just after WWII, when televisions became widely available to the public and print still was a major source of information. The ad industry had consumers on the palm of their hands: whatever they said, people heard.

Having a television in your living room was like gathering around the most entertaining firepit ever — they were captivating and so were the ads. Creatives ushered in a new wave of work that had never been seen before. Up until that point, print ads were the only show in town.

So, people now had two credible sources of information and therefore would actually watch and read the ads they were served — the media environment wasn’t crowded yet, so if it showed up on their TVs and magazines it was likely worth paying attention to.

This advertising golden age had a pretty good run — through the 50s and 60s some of the most iconic campaigns were launched. While the industry was a product of its time (AMC’s series Mad Men takes place in the 1960s), brands were led by bold creative personalities who pushed the boundaries of how to sell stuff.

But as businesses entered the 70s, in came the businessmen with their pie charts and scientific theories about brand positioning and other jargon that sounded Greek to creatives.

The issue was never about strategy being useless to creativity — rather what happened was that strategy REPLACED creativity.

As the great Bill Bernbach once said: “The more intellectual you grow, the more you lose the great intuitive skills that really touch and move people.”

This new intellectual movement in advertising meant that sales were king, and if there was a way to formulaically drive certainty that marketing dollars would yield immediate returns, then that was better for business. In today’s terms, we’d call this “marketing science.”

Ridiculous ads like Charmin’s Mr. Whipple were raking in millions in sales for Procter & Gamble, but at the expense of the industry’s self respect.

Ogilvy and Mather’s creative director at the time, Norman Berry, perfectly encapsulated the feeling that permeated advertising agencies during this dark chapter in the industry’s history:

“I’m appalled by those who judge advertising exclusively on the basis of sales. That isn’t enough. Of course, advertising must sell. By any definition it is lousy advertising if it doesn’t. But if sales are achieved with work which is in bad taste or is intellectual garbage, it shouldn’t be applauded no matter how much it sells. Offensive, dull, abrasive, stupid advertising is bad for the entire industry and bad for business as a whole. It is why the public perception of adverting is going down in this country.”

If this sounds familiar, it’s because today we’re faced with a similar challenge.

Back in the 70s, businessmen with briefcases were pushing bad ads into the public. But today, the democratization of media with the advent of the internet has effectively given anyone with a few bucks a chance at pumping more garbage into the airwaves (at no fault of their own, given that most people aren’t trained in the craft).

That is why when people are scrolling through their online feeds and some ridiculous ad of someone burning a $100 dollar bill to catch your attention, or of a snake oil salesman making ridiculous promises if only you sign up to his online course, the entire advertising craft gets reduced to one thing: leads.

But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be like that.

Some brands have managed to escape this death trap vortex of sh*tty ads by tapping into today’s platforms features in fun and engaging ways.

Take, for example, Arby’s. In a masterstroke of social marketing, Arby's leveraged the power of play in their TikTok debut, all starting with John Casterline's viral video of a TV locked on an Arby's menu. Seizing the moment, Arby's responded on TikTok with wit, sparking a playful "battle" that captivated users and inspired contributions to what became known as the 'Arby's TV Cinematic Universe'. The saga included airborne banners and culminated in a grand gesture — sending Casterline a new TV that cleverly promoted the "$5 Missing Menu Meal." The campaign's improvisational nature and refusal to directly contact Casterline preserved its authenticity, resulting in a whopping one billion PR impressions and an 88 percent growth in Arby's TikTok following—solidifying the campaign as a quintessential example of the power of digital savvy in modern advertising.

The most interesting thing about this Arby’s case study is that it doesn’t resemble an ad at all. It’s a cultural moment that the fast food chain was able to insert itself into without being abrasive.

But it’s also not that simple.

In today’s crowded media environment, brands need to be strategic about how, where and when they show up. Putting all your chips into stunts like the above simply isn’t sustainable to drive business. There needs to be an underlying “always-on” strategy that reliably solves real business problems, while leaving budget for improvisation and engagement.

Today’s advertising industry requires more than simply coming up with clever ads and beautiful creative. It demands understanding of business strategy, creative chops, and technological know-how. This magical mix is what often is celebrated in Cannes every year — and for good reason.

Pushing the boundaries of creativity in a commercially pragmatic way still remains the promise land of advertising. And brands that manage to figure that out without getting complacent to new advancements in media and tech are typically the ones that stand out.

PPA