Specifics could get too long winded and since I started this in broad brushstrokes I will finish like that. (Questions can be posted in comments.) The seed of the issue is based on a human quotient that many might not factor into to the issue at all – The capacity of the consumer brain and in the modern day, the naturally dwindling attention span facilitated by instant Internet information overload.

Back in the day, (commensurate old timey music) when exposed to advertising, you expected it and it was delivered. You not only expected it to have a certain look and format, but the brain attached a whole set of conditions recognizing it was advertising and that someone was trying to sell you something. There was almost a mental anticipation. What this means, is that you were conditioned to recognize a marketing message and considering you didn’t see a whole lot of them, Ads could actually create a lasting impact with the consumers that saw them. Particularly when viewing the same ad over and over.

Most people equate that consumer recognition to branding, if exposed to enough Ad messages. Did this work? Absolutely. Has advertising changed since then? Immeasurably!

Today, branding doesn’t function the same in a conventional sense, it actually exists on a very different plane. A present day corporate brand often functions near real-time on a global level whether physical or virtual, or both. This brand also endures a cacophony of competitive messages trying to make impact with its targets in an expanding universe of message content. Is advertising still relevant? Yes, with considerable qualifications and a great deal of media blending. Corporate advertising still pays the bills for the old school media distributors, but less so and rightfully so. TV for example is becoming less influential in the global market these days. It has to compete with a myriad of other clever content messengers. It also has to deal with the “no impression” technology that co-opts its ad investment. Enter the mighty TIVO paradigm shift that changes not only the viewing experience but also provides the easiest way to fast forward past the captive audience part the advertisers pay for. I see a few nods out there now. But that’s just a tip of the iceberg example as consumers become more sophisticated and entertainment content delivery diversifies.

With such an explosion of content types, fragmentation of media venues and a near anti-branding consumer message environment, I’m afraid the Ad industry currently faces a crossroad moment in the way it does business. Unfortunately, if the industry it doesn’t realize this, it could very well be missing the boat every bit as much as the Music industry does, who cant see its “demise forest” for all the trees. Okay I hear you saying, it cant be that bad! Well, as the landscape becomes more unrecognizable everyday and even though our ability to absorb more information is evolving due to the influence of the web, the ability for it to make an impact on us is dwindling. Good old brain function and human nature. We are now inundated with more information today than ever in the history of our race and it’s been such an exponential increase that our brains will take a while to evolve the ability to handle it.

How this applies to advertising is interesting. Sure, you CAN bombard us with a great deal more conventional short form Ad impressions over an even shorter period of time, and, when it comes to the Web, for a lot less money. But as the old saying goes you get what you pay for. Also, the delivery method these days requires just as much creativity as the actual message. Lastly, understanding the target customer is obviously more important than ever before, but how best to reach them is the “It” issue that I believe, will show Ads no longer can stand alone. So unless Ads are partnering with marketing, media, publicity and customer relations, I’m afraid, conventional advertising is just quickly lost in the shuffle.