The Future of Advertising - As Told Through My 2010 Miami Ad School Application
Inspired by Faris Yacob's recent post, I decided to re-read my Miami Ad School Planning Boot Camp application from June 2010. Four years later, my thoughts on how advertising will and should evolve has not changed. This thinking is even reflected in how I answered WARC's 2014 Admap Essay contest on building brands in the digital age, which I can proudly say they added me to the shortlist. Below is my response to one of the application questions - word for word (recently edited for readability and not content). I think many of these predictions will come true ahead of schedule.
How would you evolve the state of advertising to be successful in the year 2020?
CLIFF NOTES
1. Sophisticated customer tracking tools will play a critical role in which products and ads we serve to customers. Customers will be in control of their data and willingly share it in exchange for tailored products and marketing.
2. Ad agencies will be fully integrated with less silos between disciplines such as brand building, digital, innovation, mobile or even employee engagement.
3. The integrity of a product and organization will be paramount as increasing transparency pulls the curtain on what marketing can mask.
4. The role of advertisers will be to entertain, inspire, add value to your life or even serve as a community creator - fostering connections between likeminded individuals.
5. The need for strategic thinking, creativity and brand building won't go away.
In 2010, companies can already track their consumers through browser cookies, smartphones, social networking sites, online shopping, rating sites, and many more devices. By 2020, marketers will have more sophisticated measuring and monitoring tools to predict exactly what brands you relate to, down to the exact style of dress you want, before you even knew you wanted it. Consumers will profit from their private information by selling it to marketers, negating privacy issues. By 2020, I will never receive an ad that wasn’t meant for me.
In order for advertising to be successful in the year 2020, advertisers will need to change their organizational structure. They will need to rely heavily on strategic thinking and continue to develop their client’s brand. Most importantly, advertisers will need to work with clients to offer added value to the consumer, either through the ads themselves or products development. Ads will be engaging, entertaining and social.
Currently, most clients have a long roster of agencies: their digital agency may be based in Boulder while their AOR is in New York. Within an ad agency, coordinating every aspect of the process is challenging – even harder and less efficient when you’re working across multiple agencies. In order for advertisers to be successful in 2020, agencies need to go back to a time when all aspects of advertising were under one roof. The very definition of advertising will change to fall under the umbrella of communications and even innovation, blurring the lines between public relations, product innovation, entertainment and social media. Advertising agencies will become strategic think tanks, understanding their consumer and directing all other branches of the process; digital, print, television, web, media, etc. to interact with the particular consumer - based on their behavioral preferences. Collaborators from all stages of the process will sit in on the initial brain storming session so, for instance, the lead creative understands what the media team can do to execute their vision in the appropriate fashion. While this may resemble an in house agency, I believe it needs to remain separate in order to foster a culture of innovation, allowing strategists to pull inspiration from multiple sources and stay fresh. In keeping with the theme of integration and innovation, advertising agencies will be more horizontal and collaborative with the understanding that good ideas can come from anyone in the organization.
In addition to leading the strategic process, to be successful, advertisers will consult on all aspects of a client’s business that interact with consumers - from the retail floor to customer service, ensuring that the brand’s integrity is held throughout. With the rapid spread of information, there will be no room for disingenuous campaigns that falsely reflect the product or service. The ad agency will not create the retail experience but they will work closely to lead the firm that does.
Based on their strategic insights, advertisers will introduce the right products for the right people, popping up in their daily lives without being intrusive. It will aggregate information from your social networking sites, online persona and previous purchases to determine which brands you affiliate with and which potential new brands interest you. In fact, customers will be rewarded by points they can use to buy products for giving out more of their data – thus ensuring that products will be marketed to them more efficiently. Advertisers will turn into highly trained personal assistants, presenting you with your every need as you go about your daily life. Mobile and geo-location services will be key to alerting you what you need, when you need it and when you’re near it to get you to the purchase. Brands will create stronger communities as they are starting to do now – turning our global economy into a small town feel and giving people the connections that we all seek.
Advertisers will start conversations, entertain, challenge and excite their consumers. They will create social games that engage consumers with the brand. They will NOT be replaced by Google search or Facebook recommendations because consumers need that brand recognition (that comes in the form of advertising) to choose a brand out of the large sea of products. And brands need advertising to differentiate their product. As the tide is shifting now, the customer and advertiser will work together to create better products. This is how I would evolve the state of advertising to be successful in the year 2020.
Miami Ad School Account Planning Tips: Part Two
Since graduating Miami Ad School's Account Planning Boot Camp back in December 2010, I've gotten a considerable number of emails from people about to attend the program, asking for advice. So, I thought I'd create a Part Two to answer their questions.Check out my original post from February 2011 that outlines some basic advice on what to do before and during the program. Then peruse some of my posts under Advice. Apologies for the missing pictures but they got lost when I switched blog names. I give advice for doing job searches and general networking, but I encourage you to read [amazon_link id="0385512058" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Never Eat Alone[/amazon_link] by Keith Ferrazzi. You should also check out the videos under the same category done by PSFK and RedScout.
If you don't come from an advertising background, immerse yourself in all things advertising. Sign up for newsletters from Ad Age, Ad Week, Creativity and even PSFK. I find the free information particularly helpful and anything else - I usually don't have time to read. You can also check out Junior Strategy for more information specifically about planning.
Clean up your online presence and make sure it's professional. How would you brand yourself? You had to brand yourself for the application and now think about your Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram profiles. I found these social networking tools were a great way to meet future employers. Figure out what your "secret sauce" is. Are you a fantastic writer? Do you come from a film background and can emphasize your storytelling abilities? Are you a digital and social media wiz? Employers are looking to easily say, "oh, so and so is great with quant" rather than finding the jack of all trades.
It's been two years since I attended the course and I can't be sure what the current curriculum is, but be sure to remember that the world of strategy extends beyond being an account planner who briefs creatives to make print, web and television commercials. You could be a brand strategist, a social media strategist, content strategist, community manager, innovation strategist.. the list goes on. Make sure these possibilities are addressed in your program.
While the Boot Camp gives you an extra edge, it's no guarantee to getting a job right away. Generally you're surrounded by teachers from top agencies and taught the idealized version of planning where difficult clients, budgets and regulations don't apply. But when you graduate, you have to start somewhere and you're better off taking an internship, junior planning position, or planning position at a less desirable agency than waiting for the perfect job to open up. International students will have a harder time finding a job in the U.S. because they'll have to convince employers to sponsor them, but I suspect employers like having an international perspective from their planners so at least that works in their favor. Employers seem to want people who are young, fresh out of school and willing to intern or work for less money especially if it's a big or hot agency. Those who've switched careers and are in their late 20s/early 30s have to carve a more unique path to finding a full time job; one that might involve more contract work or taking a decent salary cut.
Finally, be incredibly proactive in your job search. Have an idea of what agencies you want to work for beforehand. Start going on informational interviews with recruiters and agencies. Keep them posted on your graduation date and make sure to follow up. The advertising world is rapidly changing as budgets move more towards digital and clients expect measurable results. Consider working on the client side, working for a startup, or in other strategic capacities that utilize skills learned at ad school. You're about to pursue a coveted job in a very competitive industry but the possibilities are endless so get cracking.
12 Tips for Future Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp Students
I felt I was fairly well prepared for Miami Ad School's Account Planning Boot Camp but there were definitely some things I wish I had learned, done or read beforehand and during the program. Hindsight is 20/20 right? The program is fairly fast paced, so I recommend doing whatever needs to be done beforehand to prepare.1. At the very least, read [amazon_link id="0471189626" target="_blank" ]Truth, Lies and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning, by Jon Steel[/amazon_link], essentially the closest thing to an account planning textbook.
2. If you finish Truth, Lies and Advertising, read [amazon_link id="0471789763" target="_blank" ]Jon Steel's The Perfect Pitch[/amazon_link]. Developing compelling presentations and knowing how to sell the work is half the battle because in this program, winning is (almost) everything.
3. Immerse yourself in the world of advertising. What are agencies doing? Which ones are hot? Who's winning awards? What's going on in pop culture? The world of advertising moves at lightening speed and you won't have time to catch up while your knee deep in school, so it's best to get an understanding of who the players are before the program starts.
4. Have a vague idea of who you want to work for and where when you graduate, then find a Miami Ad School grad via LinkedIn. You're at a well recognized school within the planning community and now it's time to start a conversation with the places you want to work for. Timing is everything, so start getting to know them now. Hopefully when there's an opening, you'll be the first person they call.
5. Don't just learn PowerPoint - master it. Finding human truths and suggesting an intelligent, unique strategy is par the course, but presenting your case in a pretty little package - that's icing on the cake.
6. Always get every single file related to your weekly assignment; PSD, InDesign, Jpg, or PPT. It's much easier to get this now when you're in the same room as your creatives than at the end of the quarter when everyone is pulling all nighters. And it's very likely that you'll revise the work at some point in the portfolio process.
7. Genuinely respect your creatives and include them in the strategy process. By involving them from the beginning, everyone will be on board with the strategy and less likely to change it the day of the presentation. Your creatives have been at Miami Ad School for a year, even taking strategy classes. It's likely they'll take your strategy to the next level and you'll learn from them.
8. Look at examples of previous portfolios midway through your program and find graduate portfolios online. Get a sense of what works and what doesn't and start formulating what your portfolio will look like. Because suddenly it will be the end of the program and you will only have 5 days to compile the first draft of one of your most important program outputs.
9. When finally creating your portfolio, ask your creatives for advice. Even their simple and quick suggestions regarding what font or colors work together can take the design of your portfolio in the right direction. M
ost are like human Google searches, able to name a font on sight.
10. Go to every single lecture, weekend workshop and class because, hey, you might learn something. Actually, don't just attend - be on your A Game. Avoid the temptation to cope with the pressure through excessive partying and remember that learning and excelling is why you put your life on hold, moved to another city and shelled out a decent amount of dough for, to do.
11. Don't be shy about contacting your weekend workshop teachers or even arranging coffee while they're teaching your class. You have their undivided attention now but all that may change when they go back 
to their day jobs - jobs that usually involve running an entire account planning department.
12. And finally... don't forget to find a balance between work and play. This is a very unique experience to meet intelligent, interesting people from all around the world. Everyone comes from a different background and has different strengths so listen to your classmates and learn from them. If you're an anti-social jerk who doesn't get to know your fellow classmates, works 24-7 and doesn't know how to have fun, you're not going to make the connections that could eventually lead to jobs. In fact, you're missing out on a huge part of what the school is about; the Miami Ad School network and the unique experience itself. So pop open a beer or pick up a ping pong paddle, enjoy the moment and make a connection!
PSFK: Skills of the Rockstar Planner: Intuitive Problem Solving
Back in June 2010, PSFK posted a video series entitled Skills of the Rockstar Planner. The video came at a perfect time while I was just finishing up my Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp application. It was exciting to learn that all their commentary about planning matched my responses. I find this series especially interesting after having completed the boot camp. There are so many skills and components to planning that it's exciting having this series available as a mini review. Even within each video, you can see how each planner thinks and approaches situations differently. Some core ideas from the Intuitive Problem Solving that I picked up are:- Creativity is at the core of planning.
- Planners need intuitive problem solving skills and emotional intelligence.
- The ability to put disparate information together and connect the dots.
- Innate ability to imagine things that other people couldn't do; i.e. imagination and creativity. I find this particularly interesting because it really touches on how many planning departments look for planners from all different types of backgrounds. Writers, journalists, actors, singers, editors, photographers - all people you wouldn't imagine in advertising but they all have jobs that put them in other people's shoes.
- Take thinking from one discipline to another. There are human truths and patterns that can be applied from one area to another.
- Break logic and find a new space. This goes along the lines of influencing and changing human behavior.
- And one of my favorite lines of thought - it's okay to evolve thinking constantly. The journey of learning is messy but as Domenico Vitale implies, it's exciting and an evolution.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NepafwxD8&w=640&h=390]
SWEAT.
I'm nearly done with Miami Ad School Boot Camp San Francisco. It's been one of the best, most challenging experiences of my life. I'm in complete denial that I will no longer have a second home in San Francisco equipped with a ping pong table, comfortable couches, wifi and most importantly, a diverse family from all over the world that is intelligent, creative and inspiring. I was prepared to be challenged. Work hard. And learn from other talented students.
You're going to sweat when you're running to a potentially mind blowing class on a Sunday morning, trying to get there by 10am while lugging your laptop and multiple layers to deal with the changing San Francisco weather.
You're going to sweat when you have to make a 10 minute presentation to your 40 classmates and tough-as-nails teacher on a project you've had only a week to immerse yourself in.
You're going to sweat as you frantically finish your presentation before the teacher calls on your team to present.
You're going to sweat when you have no time to eat and frequently find yourself running to Safeway for a cheap sandwich.
And you're going to sweat as you hold hot coffee in your hand, praying that it will give you another hour of energetic clarity.
You're going to sweat as you slam a ping pong ball back and forth with force like a ninja, playing a multitude of experts in an effort to clear your head.
And after all that hard work, you're going to sweat it out with your classmates from all over the world on the dance floor and realize, it was all worth it.
LIfe in a Day: Wallet Full of Dreams
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCTzk140lq4&w=480&h=385]One of my Miami Ad School teammates did this for a project over the summer. Cool stuff and some nice insights. You can see more of his writing here.
The Famous Planner Survey of 2010
I heard rumors that this existed. And then I found it. Via I'll Change Your Life. I bet Heather creates fantastically visual Creative Briefs and her creatives must love her!Results that I found to be particularly interesting: Women are still only making 73 cents on the dollar for every male Head of Account Planning. So women - definitely have this survey in mind when you're going up for your next review.
- Somehow the salary range for Assistant Account Planners is between $28K-$71K with the average at $43K.
- Heather was surprised to discover that graduate degrees did not appear to result in higher salaries but specifically praised the Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp as a great way for "natural planner-types to make a career change and get into account planning."
- And finally, two out of our three industry heroes who teach our weekend workshops were listed as Awesome Planners in the survey.
Worth the read!
My SF Life In iPhone Pictures
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| The Flight |
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| My very lovely room with lovely roommates and space you'd have to go to NJ to find. |
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| Too much regular nutella indulgence. Hopefully it will be like when I studied abroad in Europe and actually lost weight from all the walking.. |
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| Cappuccino done right. |
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| After sharing a lovely burger and moment with very wonderful new friends. |
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| The view a few blocks from my apartment. |
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| Even the dogs are enjoying life in laid back San Francisco |
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| A typical day at Miami Ad School. (kind of... sort of... in a way) |
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| A little less intimidating when you're at the top.. |
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| An overly dark picture of one of the items my mother sent me. Nothing like requesting a pair of 5 year old, gold heels. Might as well be bold in San Francisco. |
And finally, I'd give you more updates, but I need to do even more research on sex and condoms. Thank you Miami Ad School Project. It will only be fitting if our following assignment is for an alcoholic beverage.
Fate & A Long Winding Path To Account Planning
This week marked the first week of classes at Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp in San Francisco. Yeah - don't try saying that one in one breath. In all honesty, I'm incredibly excited to finally get to work even though I'm slightly terrified about what's ahead. I started having too much time on my hands despite exploring and adjusting to the city. And for me, too much time usually results in boy drama and over thinking previous relationships. OY VEY. Which often leads to thinking about fate. Are we fated to meet a certain person? Follow a certain path? As a future Account Planner, it will be my job to make connections between ideas and behaviors; to find an insight and recognize that it's the right strategy. So what insight can I gather about myself regarding my own career?
When I was a child, I would insistently demand that my father explain the "why" to everything, which drove him crazy. In school, I had trouble with math and science mainly because it meant memorizing facts and making connections without entirely understanding the "why." I generate ideas. I've dabbled in a million creative ventures but could never see myself working only as an artist. I'm slightly obsessive, I'm curious, I like learning about anything and everything. In short, I was meant to be an account planner. Last year I went to a career coach and wrote down my values and what kind of job I wanted. Without knowing it - I described what an account planner does. And somehow my photography (an interest I pursued because I always need to educate myself) lead to working with an account planner. Finally, when people asked why I wanted to be an account planner, I'd respond with "It's the Truth in Advertising" which I've recently found out is the title to the "account planning" handbook. That being said, I think it's important to evaluate your life - take a step back and look at your own patterns. Meet new people, experience new things, keep a journal and you'll realize that maybe the answer you seek is already within you. You just have to find it.
A Quick Post
I've been in San Francisco for the last week and just started the Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp. So I've been M.I.A. in the blog world. In a nut shell, San Francisco is amazing. I guess since I'm actually living here and it's my currently reality, I'm looking at it with new eyes then when I've visited in the past. I'm strongly considering moving here but since it's only been a week, I haven't made any decisions yet. The main obvious factor drawing me back to NY would be my family and friends, although I've met some awesome people here as well. Pictures and more observations to follow eventually. But I will say that San Franciscians are way more laid back than New Yorkers and believe it or not, crazier. Then again, my main SF experience so far has been the free Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park. I've never seen so many white, stoned, dreadlocked people in my entire life. And wonder what kind of effect contact highs have on children.
It's fantastic being with so many like-minded people in my program despite the fact that my fellow classmates are from all around the world. We all have an insatiable curiosity about people, are outgoing, creative and fun. It reminds me of when I studied abroad my Junior year, except everyone is mature, friendly and not at all clicky. I'm looking forward to learning a TON and getting put to work.
In lieu of giving ya'll an actual long posted update, I'm posting a "music video" I made last year just for shits and giggles. The footage was shot at Webster Hall at a concert using my iPhone and photographs were either taken by me, or are of me as a child. The music is Zero 7, Mr. McGee. Enjoy!