Friday, May 2, 2008

You can't keep the dinosaurs from the tar pits.


Just read an article in The Economist that is all about the dying newspaper industry. It has direct relevance on the dying ad industry. Here's the story's lede: "Some of America’s most venerable newspapers face extinction, unless they evolve." Substitute agencies for newspapers and you get the drift. And here, you can read the whole kit and kaboodle:

http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11316500&top_story=1

As an Ad Aged public service to Madison Avenue, I have an idea for the big agencies whose growth is down, who can't win new business and who have been propagating the same media mix since 1971. The same advice applies to interactive agencies who see a web site and four small banner ads as the solution to everything:

Hire a very highly paid CEvO (with a large staff). This is an entirely new title, post and sinecure that will help you deal with change. And what does CEvO stand for, you query?

Chief Evolution Officer.

That'll help.

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