Media Beat: June 18, 2018

By David Farrell

Advertising's Edifice of Nonsense

There is evidence all around us that advertising is in a downward spiral, characterized by...

• Consumer disgust with advertising

• Loss of confidence in agencies

• Massive confusion by brands about how and where to advertise

• Widespread belief that advertising has become less effective

• Uncontrolled fraud and corruption

One of the reasons for this nosedive is that the ad industry is in a cycle of stupidity that it can't seem to extricate itself from.

The longer the silly fantasies of online advertising go unchallenged, the more entrenched they become. The more entrenched they become, the more they seem axiomatic. The more they seem axiomatic, the less willing people are to challenge them. The less people are willing to challenge the childish nonsense that marketers have to come to accept as fundamental to their strategies, the further the ad industry will deteriorate.

Here is some of the foolishness that brands have come to believe, and that few are willing to challenge...

• Consumers want to "join the conversation" about brands, and co-create with brands, and become brand ambassadors by sharing their enthusiasm for brands

• Consumers are smitten with "brand love"

• "Personalized" advertising (meaning advertising delivered by ad tech) is more "relevant" and therefore more effective

• More credibility is given to dubious "research" that supports these fantasies than is given to actual facts

So let's have a look at some down-to-earth reality, which I have stolen from a previous post, and see how it aligns with the platitudes of online advertising.

First, I want you to think about your refrigerator. Think about all the stuff that's in there: The cheese, the juice, the jelly, the butter, the beer, the soda, the mayonnaise, the bacon, the mustard...

Now think about your pantry. The cereals, the beans, the napkins, the flour, the detergent, the sugar, the rice, the bleach, the paper towels...

Next your medicine cabinet. The toothpaste, the pain relievers, the shampoo, the soap, the band-aids, the deodorant, the cosmetics...

Now your closet and dresser. Your socks, your underwear, your shirts, your pajamas, your swim suit, your t-shirts, your sweaters, your jeans, your sneakers...

Now your garage. The battery, the tires, the wiper blades, motor oil, gasoline, the air filter, the muffler...

Now answer these questions:

    •    Do you “share branded content" about any of this stuff?
    •    Do you feel "personally engaged" with these brands?
    •    Do you "join the conversation" about any of this stuff?
    •    Do you ever "co-create" with any of these brands?
    •    Do you feel like you are part of these brands' "tribes" or "communities?"

Now answer this: If you don't, why in the fucking world do you believe anyone else does?

 – Taken from The Ad Contrarian, Bob Hoffman’s humorous, pointed and internationally read blog about advertising and marketing.

News

On-air exodus continues at JAZZ.FM91

Toronto radio station JAZZ.FM91 cut four hosts this week, including two high-profile personalities who were on air every weekday, and has made changes to its board structure as the not-for-profit, listener-supported station grapples with the public relations fallout of an investigation into its workplace culture.

Jaymz Bee, a 16-year station veteran, and Mark Wigmore, the new morning host and senior arts editor responsible for the station’s arts coverage, were let go along with the weekend hosts Walter Venafro and David Basskin.

The departures follow the exits of Garvia Bailey, a former morning show host whose disappearance from the air in April prompted questions from listeners, and Dani Elwell, who left last year. The station has not told listeners the reasons for the women’s departures. – Simon Houpt, The Globe & Mail

Ole partners with Newcap

Music rights firm ole has partnered with Newcap Radio and Paul McGuire’s weekly Country Countdown. This summer, an audio version of the show is to be syndicated across 21 Newcap country stations, with full artist interviews appearing on oleTV’s MCN YouTube channel.

Fagstein’s Media News Digest

• Terry Mosher and Serge Chapleau got their honorary degrees from Concordia last week.

• Domenic Fazioli is no longer a reporter for City’s Breakfast Television Montreal. “Fazioli is no longer with the company and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” was all the company would say about the matter after it scrubbed references to Fazioli from BT’s social media accounts. Fazioli himself has also removed references to BT but hasn’t said anything about his departure. Fazioli similarly disappeared from his previous job at Global Montreal shortly after it was reported he was facing assault charges in a domestic dispute. His former job has been posted, which means this is not a layoff but Fazioli was either terminated or resigned.

• Roger Millions, who covered the Calgary Flames for Sportsnet since 2002, has retired from broadcasting so he can seek election in the Alberta legislature as a conservative candidate.

• The Quebecor edict about avoiding working for other media companies has forced Bernard Drainville to leave his role on LCN’s La Joute, shortly after Luc Lavoie had to make the same decision. La Presse’s Hugo Dumas reports that similar demands are not being made for TVA personalities on music radio stations, or Richard Martineau’s job on Les Francs-Tireurs on Télé-Québec.

• La Presse talks to Esther Bégin, the new francophone face of CPAC.

• Michel Langevin left Montreal’s 91,9 Sports to do the morning show at 104,7 in Gatineau.

• Stéphane Gasse has been named program director of Cogeco’s Rythme FM 100,1 and 106,9 FM in Mauricie. Élaine Giroux becomes general manager and sales director.

• Waubgeshig Rice has been named the new host of Up North, the CBC Radio One afternoon show in Northern Ontario.

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• Frederic Bissonnette had his last day as CTV’s cameraman in Quebec City. He’s taking a new job with Radio-Canada. – Excerpted from Montreal media personality Steve Faguy’s weekly Fagstein blog.

• Michelle Shephard left the Toronto Star but will continue to do foreign reporting through other media.

• Ellie Tevan, widow of radio man Ted Tevan and a broadcaster herself, has died.

• Quebecor and Cogeco have made a $100,000 donation to a fund in the name of Jean Lapierre that will help young students from the Magdalen Islands leave their homes to further their educations.

• Chatelaine talks to City’s Cynthia Mulligan about her troubles with Mike Bullard.

Why AT&T bought Time Warner and Comcast and Disney want Fox

How Netflix sent the biggest media companies into a frenzy, and why Netflix thinks some are getting it wrong – Alex Sherman, CNBC