I worked in advertising from 1989 to 2013. While it was most certainly the least rewarding period of my life, it was also a valuable learning experience as I witnessed first-hand the decline of a once-powerful industry. More importantly, I witnessed first-hand an unnecessary reliance on advertising by marketing managers who know no better and […]

I worked in advertising from 1989 to 2013. While it was most certainly the least rewarding period of my life, it was also a valuable learning experience as I witnessed first-hand the decline of a once-powerful industry. More importantly, I witnessed first-hand an unnecessary reliance on advertising by marketing managers who know no better and advertising agencies with a vested interest. In 2021, the ‘advertising era’ is drawing to a close. The cognitive era is gradually replacing it’ – an era characterised by an increasingly scientific approach to marketing – reflecting a growing recognition that marketing is – or should be – all about the consumer and, more specifically, the management of consumer behaviour. Certainly, cost-effective marketing is all about finding the most efficient means of influencing consumer behaviour. Embrace the decline of advertising – and the advertising agency.  The 1990’s to 2020’s has a time of rapid change for advertising.…