McCann Truth Central - Truth about Advertising

#truthaboutadvertising
The research
1000 online survey with the U.S. consumers
478 online survey with U.S.industry employees
11 interviews with industry representatives
Man on the street interviews on Madison Avenue
Chapters
Sad Man In The Mirror
America On Advertising
Pride And Persecution
How the world sees us
We asked the industry... which image best depicts where you work?
Where we think we work
And...where
do yourfriends
friends think
you work?
And...where
do your
think
you work?
How we think our friends see us
How we see ourselves
Perhaps most worryingly, we think
the best is behind us
70% of the industry believes that the best of advertising is behind us
9%
27%
7%
16%
1950’s 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s
7%
4%
6%
24%
1990’s
2000s
Now
Yet to
come
No wonder we think we have
a talent issue
57% of industry folk believe we have a problem attracting and keeping talent
“We need to learn from other
industries that are on the
forefront of embracing diversity,
employee incentives,
engagement, training, career
development”
Industry Survey
America On Advertising
We asked the man on the street...
What three words would you use to describe
someone working in advertising?
Advertising is seen as an integral
part of culture
84% of consumers see advertising as a part of everyday life
82% see themselves as a consumer
57% of consumers say advertising gives them something to talk about
100%
People understand advertising is more than TV
78%
70%
80%
69%
61%
60%
58%
50%
49%
44%
40%
20%
0%
A store
window
display
A celebrity A Billboard 100 A branded
Brand
A product
board on
featured in sponsorship of recommending song written
Pinterest
a movie a sports event/ a product on
for an ad
Twitter
concert
A Facebook
sponsored
story
Which of the below would you consider an ad? (Consumer Data)
A flash mob
organized by
a brand
They know it makes their lives better
87%
80%
83%
77%
75%
75%
65%
60%
40%
20%
10%
0%
Helps me keep Helps me know
informed about what the latest
trends are
the latest offers
Entertains me Helps me to make
and makes
better decisions
me laugh about product and
services
Pays for stuff
I get for free
(music,email,
Facebook, etc.)
Saves me
money
To what extent do you agree that advertising provides you with the following benefits?
(Consumer Data)
The good news: they don’t hate us
71% of consumers feel positive about advertising as a profession
67% of consumers feel positive about the advertising they see around them
And 4/10 consumers love advertising
Before We Get Carried Away
In the context of other professions we don’t fare so well
12
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In your fantasy world, rank the below professions in order of those you’d most and least like to do.
Consumer Data
We asked people...who is most likely to work in advertising?
The industry thought
Even though people think we are creative...
They also think we’re overly corporate
Would you choose an Ad Exec to...
1%
trust with
deepest
secret
Equal last
with politician
4%
1%
go into
business
with
help solve
a problem
Highest
Rated
7%
8%
2%
have sex
with
give a
makeover
have a
debate with
The real issue we face as a profession...
In many ways we don’t even register
Pride & Persecution
Insularity is our Achilles heel
The talent war is being fought elsewhere
79% of industry employees think that we’re good at selling
our Client’s business but not our own
“I think the industry is too
self-focused right now.
We have the brains and the
money to do great things,
but we spend more time
trying to win awards”
Industry Survey
We’re all a little bit guilty of this
43% say their parents don’t understand what they do
A core theme in industry responses is a call for honesty and transparency
Why are we talking about unicorns
when we create jobs?
Advertising fuels 15%
of the U.S. job market
Source: IHS Global Insight
And if we ask consumers does
advertising make the world
better or worse?
72% of consumers
say better
And if we pull the right levers we
can turbo charge advocacy
87% of consumers believe that if people understood the real
value advertising brings to the economy it would change
people’s perceptions for the better
No pressure but...
69% believe we have the power to change the world
Brand ideas that move people
can move culture
87% of consumers think brands should stand up for what they believe in
73% prefer brands that have a strong identity and clear role in the world
68% agree the brands they buy say something about them
We need to get over our persecution complex
And take pride in what we do
1. There’s a disconnection between how the world see us and how we see ourselves
2. In the context of other professions, we don’t register
3. The talent war is being fought elsewhere
4. We’re an insular industry and we hide behind a veil of impenetrable language
5. When we get it right we can change the world
The Brief
Problem:
We’re too insular: this has a knock on effect on how we view ourselves, how others
view us and our ability to attract new talent
Target Audience:
We currently operate in a B2B model (i.e. trying to attract Clients and impress each
other), we need to incorporate a B2C model in order to attract new talent
What do we want people to think:
Advertising is the number one place to be creative, creating 15% of the nations jobs
Tone:
Honest, inclusive and proud
The Competition
Mandatories:
Must be an idea that can live in any channel
All submissions must be in a 5 minute video format
Timings:
All entries must be submitted by May 15th 2013
Winner will be announced at Cannes
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