One panellist, John Hegarty, chairman and worldwide creative director of BBH, said "I don't understand platforms. In the ad industry, we've always had to know how to write and create for different platforms - television, print and the Internet for many years. What I'm finding is the incredible lack of talent. We're all artists, but some of us should not exhibit."
There has been a lot of discussion at MIPCOM about new media technologies and the threat they pose to the traditional advertising model but Hegarty's comment must ring true for in the South African market as well. There was some debate after the Loeries and I even remember seeing an article entitled "Where has all the talent gone?"
Although we've seen some ad people return to South Africa after assignment overseas, it still is a great concern that a lot of our creative talent is leaving our shores. There has also been some comment on agencies and even corporates needing to fill BEE quotas and often people are placed in positions where they perhaps do not have the experience or skill to deal with demanding jobs. It takes two years to get to two years' experience and this is something you simply can't fast track.
It's unfair on the individual and on the client.
Another problem is that the really good black creative talent is often poached by other agencies and even clients, so it difficult for them to develop properly. Chris Moerdyk recently wrote: "Clients need to stop the incessant poaching of advertising agency black staff. It has become so bad, I am surprised that so many agencies continue with their development programmes, knowing full well that all they are doing is funding their clients' human resources."
Peter Tortorici, president of GroupM Entertainment, said at MIPCOM that ad agencies increasingly need to develop original ideas and invest in content in order to achieve clients' objectives. It's very, very simple - consumers want to be entertained, they want an interactive, lean forward experience and really do want to engage with the brands they love and support.
He gave the example of a recent Dove campaign for Unilever, in which the Hollywood actress Felicity Huffman was digitally inserted into classic sitcoms to create original webisodes to promote the brand. This web-based content didn't even make it to broadcast - the only above-line-line marketing was a call-to-action to drive people to the Dove website. It was a very successful campaign and for the brand which helped create an emotional link to the product.
It's not about the technology, but about how the rules of engagement are changing. Marketers need to understand new media platforms but as John Hegarty stated, if you don't have the talent you're not in the game.
