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I can’t deny it. I have become one of the thousands of fans of the award-winning TV drama, MADMEN. It’s hard not to fall for this show. First, the story is interesting; the characters break the pattern of the typical archetypes. Second, the music and the perfect sets and scenarios really transport you to the 60’s (which some of us dig). Third (the main reason), it’s a TV show about the advertising world, and it opens to the public domain all those little secrets about the world I work in that used to be realities only known by those of us in the industry. And finally, I was getting a bit fed up with lawyer and doctor TV shows. The article recalled something I had just read in an interview with James Gustave Speth, dean of Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Dean Speth said, “This greening of consumption is only the first step because it’s still consumption. And it’s still very high levels of consumption. You have to be very careful. People insist on more energy efficient refrigerators and then they have two refrigerators. Or they insist on more fuel efficient automobiles and then drive a lot more”. He adds: “Consumers can make decisions that could dramatically change the economy. They need however good information, and they don’t have it now” According to Mr. Speth, consumption is one of the biggest enemies of a sustainable economy (and I do agree with him). So shouldn’t we, advertising people, be on that Rolling Stone list too? Just as an example (one of millions that exist around the world), check out this campaign from a fancy Mexican department store, El Palacio de Hierro (think NK in Scandinavia or Brown Thomas in Ireland):  Rough translation: “Everything in excess. Nothing measured” It’s easy to talk (and talk smack) about others in a blog – but shouldn’t we look deeper into our own actions and responsibilities before pointing fingers? There’s a popular saying in Mexico: “Tanta culpa tiene el que mata a la vaca, como el que le detiene la pata”. I’ll try to translate (of course it won’t rhyme): He who holds the cows leg is as guilty as he who kills the cow. I think in advertising, we have not only been the ones holding the leg; we’ve even showed our clients new ways to do away with the cow. I am still amazed by the number of young people who want to work in advertising. Sometimes I think they are still attracted by the supposed “glamour” of the industry. (…I think the glamour in advertising was at its peak in the 60’s and died in the 90’s – I don’t see much glamour at all anymore). But at the same time, I’ve also noticed a change in the intentions of young people working in advertising; (as cliché as it may sound) they want to make this world a truly better place (not a Wall Street version of it). As admen (and women), we have made consumption “sexy”. Now it’s time to make conscious consumption sexy, too. We probably could get some inspiration from design. Think of the luxury dichotomy: some consider luxury a lobby in a hotel in Las Vegas (with all its golden chandeliers); others consider luxury a cozy Swedish home. Could we call our new marketing raison d’etre “Minimalist Communication”? Advertising people: Enemies or allies of sustainability? We really have to seriously re-think the use of our “power”. I believe OgilvyEarth is a step in the right direction. Thankfully, we’re not the only shop pursuing new goals. Don, we need your inspiration…
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