Today's business has adopted online advertising for many reasons. It's fast, it's inexpensive, and it produces revenue. But 100 years of advertising history has also created something within
American consumer that they will not let go of. If your campaign is going to attempt to defy that, you are setting yourself up for a final resting place with "patented medicines."It is well documented that 1980's brought "Age Of Skepticism" in advertising to American public. It came, in fact, shortly after infamous 1979 customer survey that Oglivy and Mather of New York City conducted. That survey revealed that 75% of those asked did not think that advertising in general told Truth. In short, message was this: 3/4 of those you were about to advertise to, probably won't believe you.
Twenty two years later, there is no evidence that much of American attitude has changed. If you search around, you probably won't find any written record that someone has stepped up to podium and declared a final end to this Age of Skepticism. If you check customer surveys of late 1990's, you'll find continuous references to fact that customers want "advertising that is believable."
The "Age Of Skepticism" in American advertising was probably coming, Oglivy survey or not. The survey, however, ended up presenting some very clear and disturbing evidence. But by 1980, American public had had 100 years of blatant mass advertising as we know it. And frankly, they were very tired of being lied to. In fact, if you check history, you'll find that at outset of mass advertising, many businesses didn't want anything to do with advertising concept itself. Publishers lied about circulation amounts; ad brokers made deals with publishers behind backs of consumers, and no one took responsibility for anything in industry. But there was one thing that kept everyone in ball game, regardless of how nasty business was. Something called money.
Our first "taste" of mass advertising was infamous "patent medicine" campaigns of late 1880's. A poor way to start American advertising heritage. A campaign of selling "elixirs" to American public that contained cocaine, heroin and many times 44% alcohol rates, with ads claiming they cured everything. It took American public about 10 years to send advertisers and their products to entrepreneurial graveyard. In interim, however, millions were made in advertising alone.
By 1900 "floodgates" of mass advertising were open, and race was on. The deception continued in all aspects of selling and advertising and finally, 80 years or so later, American public reacted to it all in a message to all companies and their advertising techniques. The message was very clear from American consumers. And that same message has stayed very clear for last twenty two years. . .
