Advertising Age hosted The Idea Conference recently and had for a speaker David Jones, CEO of global agency network Euro RSCG Worldwide.
His talk was more of a rallying of the old way of doing things by telling the participants that they needed to take back creativity from consumers. Does the word dinosaur mean anything here?
He criticized the use consumer-generated content saying: "We've got to stop thinking that consumer-generated content is an idea, it isn't. It is a phenomenon" ... they "rarely create content with your brand 
strategy in their pocket."
He went on to say that "Our industry cannot delegate the creation of brilliant ideas to consumers. We have to be at the starting point, consumers can take off from there."
Photo Credit: Rohanna Mertens
What is this all about? He's afraid that what is happening to the old media will happen to the ad agencies. He's right! The problem is that he's advocating fighting the trend and attempting to take control back. What a misguided waste of time and energy.
With a receptive crowd it might have been just a bunch of meaningless cheerleading or possibly he's looking to be some type of leader of the old guard.
The article is entertaining and fun to read, but the conclusions have to be made because of some private agenda or incompetence. Consumer-generated content isn't new, it's just easier to do with the new tools. It's here to stay.
A shame - David is young for his job, but seems entrenched in last-century thinking.
Posted by: Alex | December 7, 2007 10:10 AM | Permalink to Comment