Lecture Logic: Account Management

By Erica Wenham, Monday 19 November 2012.

Managing The Commercial Communications Process (Week 9)

Enterprise week has come to an end and it's time to head back to lecture life. Today was week 9 of the MCCP module and Vic focused on advertising. As I am primarily a PR student, advertising theory is not the most enjoyable topic for me. Nonetheless, my course leader Vic Davies made some interesting points today which I thought were worth a quick Lecture Logic mention today.

Is advertising really like this?



"Mad Men" is set in 1960s based upon a (fictional) successful advertising agency in New York. The term "mad men" was a slang term coined in the 1950s by advertisers working on Madison Avenue to refer to themselves, the term being a portmanteau of the expression "ad men" and the metonymic expression for the industry. The focus point of the series is character Don Draper, the creative director of the agency. The plot focuses on the business of the agencies as well as the personal lives of the characters, regularly depicting the changing moods and social mores of the United States in the 1960s.

Quotes:

• "If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation."

Spoken like a true industry professional, Twitter would have been no match for Don.

• "You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself"

A strong mission statement for a content marketing campaign.

• "We're gonna sit at our desks typing while the walls fall down around us. Because we're the least important thing there is."

A quote for all those marketeers, advertisers and PR professionals typing away creating great online content on behalf of brands, publishers and other key correspondents.

• "People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be."

This quote is equally true for brands as it is for people and celebrities. With social media now so powerful in influencing how we think about people and brands today, social media is an opportunity to embrace your customers and "be who they want you to be".

The sitcom tells the story of advertising men in 1960s New York - it is a world of sexism, racism, hard drinking and smoking. "Mad men" are the powerful media heroes of the era - everything they touch turns to gold. The star of the show is Don Draper, an intense creative genuis.

Do you think Don would make a great content marketer in today's workplace? Or does the heavy drinking, chain smoking inside the office and general misogyny make him the most unpopular guy in the office? (Particularly as the rise in women in advertising continues to grow)

Or is it about this?