2016 was a year of humiliation for adland. Will 2017 be a year of hope?
2016: the year of Brexit and Trump, has also been a worrying year for adland with fake apps winning at Cannes and media agency transparency under the spotlight. In this guest post, Mark Hadfield suggests that 2017 will be a year of hope.
Let’s start off with some honesty. The hard work, commitment and creative ambitions that you’ve put your energies into this year have been affected by scam work from other agencies.
It might seem like an over-claim, but whether it’s been through the eyes of an awards’ judge, a client review or within your own agency, the way people now view your creative work has changed. It’s a more cynically-minded audience now as people try and root out the cheaters.
And the sad truth is, the industry has brought it on itself.
The insatiable clamour for awards has led to some agencies and networks going to morally questionable lengths to climb the rankings of the Gunn Report.
And add to that, competitors literally thieving POP designs for the same client. And clients themselves taking advantage of free pitch work with no intention of ordering. “Selfie” and “Selfish” are only 2 letters apart.