Commentary

No Obama in Advertising

Marc Goldstein -- the head of the 4As Media Policy Committee and CEO of GroupM North America -- said the ad industry needs an inspiring leader the likes of Barack Obama to help pull it out of these tough times.

Goldstein said he felt "a ray of hope" when Obama was sworn in -- that a new leader, new team and new ideas would bring better times.

“Our industry doesn't have a Barack Obama that can provide us with that kind of … inspiration, at least that I know of,” he said.

3 comments about "No Obama in Advertising".
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  1. Christopher Payne-taylor from sAY-So, March 5, 2009 at 12:38 p.m.

    Yes, let's do that. Let's wait for some charismatic marketing leader to come and pull us out of our current economic "catastrophe," to use the more recent Presidential terminology.

    Good plan! Strong, yet non-committal. Eloquent, but vague. Inspiring, but unsubstantial. What's not to like here? Of course, we could get up off our derrieres and try to do something ourselves, but maybe we've played too many videogames to understand that in order to do that, you have to turn your videoscreen off, go outside, and figure out exactly what it is you might want to do.

    Otherwise, metaphorical videogame addicts everywhere, beware: sitting in your parent's basement waiting for "new leaders, new teams and new ideas that are going to bring better times" is like Waiting for Godot.

    Hey, we've all read the play; we know how it ends. He isn't coming, folks. But what's even scarier is the play's very last line, a stage direction which simply states, "They do not move."

  2. Scott Smith from Chesapeake Media Partners, March 5, 2009 at 3:19 p.m.

    Well, like most progressives (LOLOL) Mr G missed the "spot" again... we don't need O'Bama (his Irish name) we need a Regan, as in Ronald to get us going again!

  3. Lyn Graft from LG Pictures, March 6, 2009 at 9:50 a.m.

    I do believe that there are leaders in the Ad space I have seen from the outside looking in. Roy Spence from GSD&M and his creative team bring an aura of Hope & optimism in their spots and they are doing things outside of the Ad world to help those in needs (post 9/11 commercials, during Katrina Red Cross in hour turn-arounds, supporting local entrepreneurs in their community, etc.) & they do it by leveraging their creative storytelling skills & abilities to inspire people for causes and to stay motivated in tough times.

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