I wasn't thrilled when Time did it.
And I'm sure as heck not thrilled with Ad Age doing it..
I love consumer generated content. I love that publishing tools and power is in the hands of the people and that they (we) can create content that is often better than an agency can create.
But I expect mainstream and industry publications to apply editorial expertise to their field. Choose an agency who knows how to work with consumers. Or an agency that started a practice geared towards social media. Or heck, even a virtual one that opened in Second Life.
But if you're telling me that consumers are the AGENCY OF THE YEAR then ... well .. I think I'm going to start watching the horizon for the second horseman.
Original Story: http://adage.com/article?article_id=114132
That phrase "compelling content" represents a lot of things, including sticky websites that are fun to tool around on; informative, no-bullshit blogs that inform consumers rather than snow them; and plain old funny or moving video snippets that people are eager to pass on to their friends.
The problem for a big-shot creative director in 2006 was that the most compelling content wasn't made by highly paid ad-agency teams and aired on TV. Nobody did it better than amateurs working with digital video cameras and Macs, and uploading onto YouTube -- just going to show you don't need a big medium or production budget to create catchy work.
Justification for the Pick: http://adage.com/article?article_id=114153
We threw around more agency names but kept coming back to that idea of consumer as agency. The arguments piled up: Lonelygirl15; the Mentos/Coke experiments; TBWA London asking the public for ideas; recognition of the importance of consumer-to-consumer communication; marketers' oft-stated belief that the consumer is in control. Of course, consumers aren't agencies, but they have become arguably the most effective creators and distributors of commercial content. If we were ever going to do something different with our selection, this was the year to do it.
Of course, it didn't end there. The Sunday after that meeting, I got a call that went something like: "Time's done it; they picked you." Even I'm not cocky enough to think I'd seen off Kim Jong Il for this year's honors, so I let out a sigh and prepared for another meeting.
What do you think?
This time, however, we stuck to our guns. Time was picking consumer-generated content over world leaders, dictators with nuclear weapons and people who are trying to save our broken planet. We are picking it over some other content creators. We might end up looking derivative, but we felt we were right. And we still do. But we look forward to you, our consumers, telling us what you think.
I don't know why this frustrates me so much. I think big agencies need to change, drop the arrogance and pay attention to consumers. Start doing customer-centric and customer-partnered marketing. Raise the level of design. Lead the way.
I just think this was an easy and "me-too" pick. The articles are good and worth a read. But I expect more from my industry.
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