The Definition of Advertising Has Never Been More Unclear

These perspectives are not only divergent from each other, but each also shapes a particular way of thinking—not just about communications products, but about what advertising and marketing do, how they relate to consumers, and how (if at all) they influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviors.

Digital technologies have put the very definition of advertising and marketing up for grabs. Now, when a marketer asks for a new campaign, the response from the team is literally a question mark. “What kind of campaign?” “Which agencies should we ask for guidance?” “What do all these technology companies do?” “Is anyone right?” “Is everyone right?” “How do we measure success?” Every campaign, if it can even be called that, begins with a blank slate. There are just too many ways it could go.

So what is advertising anyway? Last year during the closed-door judging of the IAB MIXX Awards, the judges fiercely debated just this issue. This year, it’s what we’ll focus on at the 2013 IAB MIXX Conference and Expo, themed appropriately “Advertising is _____?” There, on Sept. 23 and 24, we will showcase these warring points of view, highlight their differences and look for points of commonality.

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