What Happens When Ad Agency Creative Magic Fails?

Agency creativity has been much less magical in recent years with the advent of digital and social media quotcontentquot instead of ads and the widespread introduction of technology and ecommerce to the changing demographic mix of consumers with fickle Millennials now the dominant segmentamp160 Iconic brands are dead in the water marketing spend is shrinking and CMO job tenure is short and uncertainamp160 The magic of creativity disappeared along the wayWhat happens in societies when magic ceases to accomplish what magic needs to doamp160 Ancient tribes and cultures depended on the magic of witch doctors and divine leaders to ensure the return of spring after the dead of winter fertile fields nourishing rains healthy harvests growing herds and cures for fevers and other mysterious diseasesWhen witch doctors grew old showing grey hairs and noticeable limps or when divine leaders could no longer impregnate their many wives or carry out divine duties on behalf of their people they were simply and immediately put to death or killed in combat by younger successors assuring the continuity of divine magic for the health of the tribesamp160 Sir James George Frazer39s The Golden Bough catalogues in unflinching detail the many ways that quotThe Killing of the Divine Kingquot was accomplished systematically in culture after culture across the globe all in response to evidence that the witch doctor or divine leader was losing his power threatening the existence of the tribe in a land of hostile and evil spiritsToday39s ad agencies get off easyamp160 They are fired from existing relationshipsamp160 Their fees are cutamp160 Their clients find other witch doctors who promise more powerful forms of creative magicamp160 They are taken on somewhat skeptically and if today39s experience is any guide they are fired after a few yearsamp160 The typical CMO who is responsible for finding the forms of magic that work is tolerated for two of these cycles and is then firedamp160 No throats are cut or lives snuffed out by hanging or strangulationamp160 No hearts are pierced with spears or swordsamp160 No one is burned alive torched by successors who will face the same fate if their magic proves to be inadequate for the tribe39s needsNo we live in a civilized time dear reader and there is no hint of this kind of bloodshedAstonishingly agency CEOs whose magic has dried up during the past decade continue to do pretty well paid at 50100 times the salary rate of their most junior peopleamp160 It is the junior agency people who pay the price for the loss of agency magicamp160 Those juniors who aren39t downsized in response to client loss and fee reductions will have to step up the pace chanting and dancing with heavy intensity long into the night to keep the fires and drums of creativity as alive as they can beWho cares about them anywayamp160 What matters is the fate of the divine leadersamp160 If they can avoid the sword the noose the strangling hands or the burning fire and continue to be wellrewarded despite the loss of their magical powers they39ll gladly sacrifice some young39uns in their steadCartoon credit Lee Lorenz The New Yorker The Cartoon Bank With permissionClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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What Happens When Ad Agency Creative Magic Fails?

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Michael Farmer

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What Happens When Ad Agency Creative Magic Fails?

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