I grew up in the Ally & Gargano style of advertising. Or, more accurately, the Carl Ally style of advertising.
I believe in this style of advertising.
Advertising that provides the reader/viewer with facts. That rarely uses adjectives. That rarely engages in emotional manipulation.
I worked at Ally & Gargano for five long years. During that time, I probably produced 300 ads. During that time, I rose to become Ally & Gargano's youngest-ever Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director. Doing all that I set my career way back--probably ten years.
Because while I was creating ads that were based on logic and facts, the industry had shifted. Shifted dramatically.
If I had a dime for every creative, account person, planner and janitor who told me I was too logical, I'd have at least ten dollars now. My thinking was old, obsolete, and outdated. People want to feel good about brands. Not know how they work and feel good that they know.
The industry decided emotions ruled the day. That rational, thoughtful arguments were too much for people. We had to tell them how happy and satisfied we'd make them. We had to show people having orgasms induced by a mayonnaise, or a nacho chip, or a beer, or a vacation destination. The only way we believed to communicate an emotional benefit was to tell people the emotional benefit and to show people smiling.
As Kamala Harris was rolling out "Joy," I think a lot of people were feeling pain. Living paycheck-to-paycheck. Fearing what drugs would do to their kids. Worrying about job loss, a factory closing, schools that stopped teaching. They worried about violence and a world that seemed to have spun off its axis.
You can say Joy once a second for one-hundred years. It wouldn't change a thing.
It's like getting crammed into a middle-seat smaller than your ass and the guy in front of you reclines and the people on either side of you hog the armrests. Being told, have a nice day, or that we're all about making you happy doesn't change that situation.
As Kamala Harris was rolling out "Joy," my Ally & Gargano roots left me with a sick, worried feeling. Sure, I want joy in my life, but how.
I sat at my computer and wrote this ad. Proclaiming Joy--whether you're a brand, a life-partner, or a presidential candidate is fine.
I sent this to the Harris campaign. I heard nothing back. As an ad this is so far from the tenor of the times--I expected nothing back. No one in advertising would run an ad like this.
It's so serious.
It doesn't show people smiling.
It demands viewers read. And the product itself might be held accountable if it puts in plain English what to expect.
Tripe is our default setting.
When I worked on Boeing after the 737 Max crashes, I had a simple plan. Leading to the recertification of the plane, an ad a day for one-hundred days of "This is what we did today." ie. "We're 97 days from launch. This is everything we did today to make the Boeing 737 Max the safest plane that's ever flown."
I wanted them to look like the great United Technologies ads from the early 2000s. Whether you read them or not, they looked well-engineered. So you believed United Technologies were well-engineered.
This circuitry is missing from modern advertising. Because, against the admonitions of David Ogilvy, deep-down the entire ad industry--including clients--believe the consumer is a moron, that the consumer doesn't care enough to read, or simply can't read.
So, we pander.
We say joy.
We show people who are merry.
Undistinguishable from any competitor whose SUV or clear plastic wrap also makes people merry.
We started thinking we could own adjectives and differentiate them. Our joy is better than your joy.
Before I spend my money on almost anything, I want a permission to believe. I'm too hard-assed to buy the idea that a new laundry detergent will have the affect of prozac--lemon-scented, to boot.
And if I'm shelling out $47,000 (the average price in America of a new car) I need to know more than that it has Apple Car Play and can nominally parallel park by itself, because I'm too lame to know how to.
For a pessimist I am ever hopeful.
That the Harris campaign will be a turning point.
That maybe someone will realize that there's product inside of products. And that products, people, services need to be explained, differentiated, and back by promises kept.
That seems basic to me.
And 97-99-percent of people reading this will tell themselves "George is an obsolete, angry old man." They're right.
That doesn't mean I'm wrong.
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BTW, as examples, I've chosen some lesser-know Carl Ally ads.
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