A couple of recent missteps by advertisers and their agencies reminds me of how too many ad concepts are created in a bubble. 
We all saw the upset that a recent Pepsi ad created when many people thought it trivialized the Black Lives Matter movement and what it represents.
This week McDonald’s faced a twitter-storm over a new ad that’s been running in the U.K. The ad, critics say, exploits childhood bereavement for a deceased father. McDonald’s agreed to pull the spot after a huge outcry in England, all of it negative for McDonald’s. Thanks to social media, the news spread far beyond the U.K., hurting the McDonald's brand.
Another ad, for Nationwide, caused a stir after it aired on the 2015 Super Bowl. The insurance company had to defensively explain its intentions as social media chatter turned overwhelmingly negative. Both the Nationwide and McDonald’s ads had a common theme that went awry -- deceased family members.
Why does this continue to happen?
I think it’s because of how ad concepts come to be and how they are presented to clients. The creative process is, sometimes, hatched and incubated in a bubble.
Many years ago when I had just started my own PR business, I had an ad agency client. It was a well-known and well-regarded shop, known for its creative flair. The agency was invited to present to a potential new client – a copier company. PR was part of the RFP, so I was asked to participate in the pitch. The PR component was fairly straightforward – product PR and case histories.
I sat in on the agency’s internal sessions as they were developing strategy and creative for the pitch. They had just hired a supposed hot shot as EVP and Creative Director and this was the first pitch where he was leading the charge.
The internal meeting where the new CD presented the proposed creative was a big dog & pony show, but honestly, I was not impressed. In fact, I thought the whole creative concept was wrong and maybe even a bit offensive.
When the CD finished, there was silence in the room. Finally, someone broke the silence to say he thought it was very creative. Once the ice was broken, everyone else was effusive about what a groundbreaking and creative idea it was. I was a bit intimidated and feeling out of my element, so I kept my mouth shut. I was happy just to be part of the pitch. But I had my doubts. Creative, maybe. But good for selling copiers, or that particular brand of copiers? I wasn’t convinced.
I remember the day we went up to Connecticut to present to the client. The agency president introduced the new EVP/CD, reeling off his accomplishments and all the creative awards he had won. The new guy talked a little about strategy, and then introduced me for the “mundane” PR stuff, sating he wanted to save the best for last. I briefly presented the PR component, and the client-to-be said it all made sense and they liked it.
And then, the drama having been built up and the “routine” PR stuff out of the way, came the ad creative presentation. As they were presenting, it just wasn’t making a lot of sense to me. But these ad hotshots know what they’re doing, I thought to myself, struggling to get myself to nod and smile as the creatives presented.
They finished and then the client’s marketing director got up. He said, the PR stuff made a lot of sense, but what the hell were we thinking when we came up with the creative? He blasted the agency guys and all but threw us out. As I was leaving, he pulled me aside and said he liked my stuff, but he wanted to hire only one team for advertising and PR, so I was out of the running because I was with that agency.
Twenty-something years later, I now have enough confidence to speak up honestly if I were to find myself in a situation like I was back in the internal creative session. But back then, I figured all these ad guys at a hot agency must know what’s right.
Now I know that there’s so much sucking up and fear of being the lone man out on the limb. It’s part of being in a bubble, where people are afraid to speak up. It’s like that in too many agencies, just as it’s in many corporate board rooms and now, it seems, even in the White House.
The bubble mentality is what probably got these ad agencies, and their clients McDonald’s, Nationwide and Pepsi into hot water. Hopefully, they’ll learn from this… but probably not.