The Future of Advertising
The other day, I read a fascinating article in the Financial Times about the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival which noted a “seismic shift” towards interactive and digital marketing over traditional advertising campaigns.
The shift from print to electronic media is old news to photographers – we’ve been talking about that for a couple of years now. What struck me about this article was a quote from Chuck Brymer, chief executive of DDB Worldwide who said “We are charging for the ideas – that’s the value you [as an agency] provide.”
The old business model of agencies giving ideas away in order to grab a percentage of the media buy no longer works and agencies who fail to grasp the import of Chuck Brymer’s observation are in for a rough ride.
Similarly, photographers must examine the value that we provide and recognize that our true skill does not lie in our knowledge of lenses, f-stops or Photoshop but in our ability to tell a comprehensive and compelling story within the frame of a single image.
2 Responses to 'The Future of Advertising'
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Great post, Judy. I couldn’t agree more… the ability to craft images that tell a story– that combination of creative vision and technical skill–is what makes for great photography. Helping clients understand the importance of the vision element– and also what it takes to achieve the desired outcome–is essential in today’s market.
And there are some great examples of photographers out there who see stories that need to be told– who find new niches and do it well. A colleague of mine on the East Coast recognized that many folks selling their homes–especially those which had been in the family for some time–had an emotional need for closure. She now crafts custom books telling the “home’s story” for her clients. Seems to be doing pretty well.