Lately I have
been observing the advertising industry and discussing it with my business
coach. He laments that the industry has disempowered itself by letting Clients
dictate timelines. ‘Where has all the professionalism expounded by David Ogilvy
gone?’ he vents. What has happened to times when Agencies had the power to say
‘I respect your decision but this is not something I can do and good luck with
your campaign’? Has the industry lost all its integrity?
Is the world
that David Ogilvy once knew gone forever?
I have been in
and out of the advertising industry for the last 20 years and I see both sides
of the coin. There really is no clear or easy solution as to regaining their
foothold as trusted brand custodians rather than just providers of brand support.
Agency leaders have to constantly juggle professional integrity with the
ability to keep cash flow up. Then there is the Asian context – clients range
from being highly sophisticated to naïve. There are also those who don't know
what they don't know.
