Jul 2013 Future of Advertising Post on JWT Blog

This piece was just published on the JWT Blog.  It is unfair to say Google has pulled creativity out of the busienss because their Art, Copy, Code program and Project Re:Brief are both excellent examples of adding creativity to the industry.  That said, ad words?  Much harder to defend in terms of creativity.

Is This the Future of Online Advertising?

July 18, 2013 • by John Baker 

There are three platforms that dominate the time people spend online and their names are no surprise – Google, Facebook and Twitter. They have become the backbone of the digital experience and smart brands go where their audience is – so is this the future of advertising?

Dry. That is the best word to describe the experience users have when they see the ads above. These ads are all structured and template-driven. Yes, there is space for a great headline and brands can do something with their thumbnails, but there are no big full-bleed images, no snippets of killer video, no clever interactive overlays.

The “ads” have this form because all three companies have shifted their focus to content distribution and lightweight publishing.

Unfortunately this means the ad unit is a tiny chunk of content with about as much heart pounding, emotion-inducing impact as a postage stamp.

– See more at: http://www.jwt.com/blog/dotjwt/is-this-the-future-of-online-advertising/#sthash.x7EJMph8.dpuf