• by Morten Pedersen , January 9, 2025

Marketers love a fresh start. The first few weeks of a new year has always been our collective season of optimism – a time for trends, resolutions, and declarations of reinvention. Yet this year feels different. Beneath the often glossy predictions and carefully curated “what’s next” articles, there’s an unsettling truth: 2024 wasn’t just a difficult year. It exposed fault lines that run deeper than we’ve cared to admit.

It’s not that we’ve lost control entirely. It’s that we’ve quietly, perhaps even willingly, handed it over – to platforms, algorithms, and the comforting illusion of progress. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this business, it’s this: the longer you let others steer the ship, the harder it is to get back to the helm. And if advertisers and agencies are to reclaim their rightful place at the center of this industry, they’ll need more than courage. They’ll need to remember what’s worth fighting for.

The Fallacy of More

Advertising is full of contradictions, but few are as damaging as this: we’ve been told that doing more – more reach, more formats, more content – is the surest path to success. Yet the more we produce, the less impact we seem to have. Fragmentation doesn't strengthen brands; it scatters focus, dilutes messages, and erodes audience attention.

The endless churn of content designed to feed algorithms hasn’t built brands; it has created noise. And in the process, we’ve lost sight of mental availability: the essential factor that ensures a brand is not only seen but remembered when it matters most. Clarity, consistency, and simplicity. That is what works. And it is what we have forgotten.

David Ogilvy’s timeless reminder, “The consumer isn’t a moron; she’s your wife,” should be a reality check for every marketer. Effective advertising respects its audience by focusing on persuasion over presence, connection over clutter. Testing the uncharted has its place, but proven principles must always lead. The answer isn’t “more.” It’s better.

Algorithms Don’t Build Brands

Algorithms were meant to be tools, not taskmasters. But in our pursuit of optimization, we’ve handed over control to a handful of tech giants. Together, their ecosystems now command over half of the global advertising market.

These platforms thrive on obfuscation. They sell flattering metrics, but mask the harm they cause to brand health. Meanwhile, advertisers have become complicit, trading independence for convenience. Agencies alone won’t change this. Advertisers must lead by demanding transparency, accountability, and freedom from systems designed to serve platforms, not brands.

Black boxes don’t just obscure – they shift the blame, leaving advertisers with eroded budgets and diluted impact while platforms thrive in their opacity. Transparency isn’t optional; it’s the only way to reclaim control.

Transparency: Where Planning and Buying Meet

A plan you can’t defend is a waste. A budget you can’t track is a liability.  Transparency doesn’t start in buying. It starts where plans are made. Far too often, advertisers accept plans that are vague, opaque, and destined to fail the basic test of integrity.

True transparency begins before a single dollar is spent. It ensures that every media choice aligns not just with short-term targets but with long-term brand value. A broken plan will lead to wasted buying – every time. If your agency can’t justify a placement, cut it. If they can’t track it, remove that spend altogether. Transparency isn’t just about saving money. It’s about crafting campaigns that deliver measurable results – campaigns that resonate with audiences and align with long-term brand value – while ensuring every resource is used responsibly.

Advertisers: demand clarity, not convenience. Advertisers who fail to demand accountability in planning aren’t just losing money; they’re losing control. Agencies: stop hiding behind artificial complexity. Transparency is a tool, but tools alone are meaningless without the right minds to wield them. It’s talent – curious, experienced, and skilled – that turns clarity into action, plans into persuasion, and budgets into real results. Without these people, transparency is just another empty promise.

The Talent Gap: Rebuilding Advertising’s Foundation

And yet, talent – the very force that gives transparency its power – has steadily drained from our industry. Over the years, we’ve seen an exodus of experienced professionals. The kind of people who understand not just what works, but why.

Experience isn’t static; it’s dynamic. It evolves with the times. But for it to matter, it must be coupled with curiosity and courage; the curiosity to ask more questions than you answer, and the courage to unlearn what no longer serves us. These qualities are rare, but they’re essential.

Without experienced talent, even the most transparent plan will lack depth. It takes skill to create campaigns that persuade, not just perform. Agencies can’t shoulder this alone. Advertisers must invest in the people who know how to bridge planning and buying with real-world insight. As an industry, we need this talent back; not to relive the past, but to rebuild a better future.

Simplicity: The Hardest Choice

In a world addicted to complexity, simplicity is a revolutionary act. It’s easy to add; it’s hard to subtract. But the brands that succeed – the ones that endure – are those that resist the temptation to do everything and focus instead on doing a few things extraordinarily well.

Simplicity isn’t a shortcut; it’s the scalpel that cuts through the noise. Like strategy, it’s about having the discipline to say no to what doesn’t matter, so you can say yes to what does. In an industry that celebrates the new, it’s a reminder that the most radical thing you can do to cut through is focus.

Reclaiming the Clock

If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that the clock is not on our side – not from lack of effort, but from the misdirection of it. Every moment spent overcomplicating, avoiding accountability, or surrendering to opaque systems is a moment we’ll eventually regret. But time is not the enemy; inaction is.

Reclaiming control takes courage. Courage to simplify, to challenge the systems that stifle progress, and to demand better – for brands, for consumers, and for the industry as a whole. It’s not just about fixing processes; it’s about reigniting the purpose of our industry: to connect, persuade, and inspire.

If even one advertiser, one agency, one team decides to take that step this year, it's a step forward. If more follow, it could be a revolution. The clock is ticking. The only question is: will we act before time runs out?