What I learned about advertising & marketing from the make|SHIFT documentary
I was so impressed with this documentary featuring some of the biggest and brightest names in advertising. The doc covers the evolution of advertising over the last 20+ years. It is incredible how much has changed in such a short time. It'll definitely take you down memory lane (and make you feel like you're either really old or life moves at lightning speed). Even though it focuses on the advertising world, I feel that a lot of the work these creative agencies do nowadays blends with marketing as well. If I have any connections out there who are in the advertising or marketing world, let me know if you've seen this and what you think!
First, here's their description of the film:
"make|SHIFT is a story about the agencies and makers behind the brands. Our team interviewed a range of leaders from developers to designers to creative directors to founders at some of the most innovative agencies in the world, both small and large, digital and traditional.
The film takes an inside look at how these makers and agencies have shifted and re-shifted their skillsets, creativity and businesses, as new creative technologies emerged, declined, and were replaced by the next technology in an endless cycle of change. makeSHIFT shines light on this beautifully frustrating pattern, and celebrates the makers that have embraced the shift and thrived."
Here's the link to watch the film: https://makeshift.film/#intro
My big takeaways:
The lines of what is and isn't advertising are totally blurred. Everything you do can be an ad. This leaves space for so much creativity that can be catered to what the audience/consumer actually wants to see, hear, and feel. (emphasis on the feel :))
Advertisers are creators of culture, not just interrupters of culture. This is a quote from one of the founders of Pereira O'dell. (If you view advertising this way, you can see it has so much potential for good in the world!)
With innovation in technology and an endless amount of resources, the barrier to entry in the ad world is much lower (though I realize, it also makes it more competitive, and boy is it competitive!).
Technology is actually going to push us to use our voice more and listen more. Once we get past the whole staring at our phones incessantly, we are going to miss human contact--in the near future, that will probably be higher than ever. There is a lot of opportunity and change coming. There always is.
So many of the talented people the filmmakers interview recall times when their clients made requests they had no idea how to do. But their answer was still: "Of course we can do that!" Then they worked at it, made it happen, and changed history.
That last one is really big for me, you've heard it before--> "fake it till you make it". Sometimes we just need a little push in the right direction. Everything that has happened so far, is just that, the stuff that's happened so far. We have yet to accomplish more. And thankfully, this industry is constantly changing, which means, so can we.
P.S. About the cover art I created: I wanted to convey the impact and evolution that technology, marketing, and advertising have gone through and continue to go through. The ideas and innovation that can come out of this arena can change the world.