Verizon CMO Stratton talks tough to agencies

Oneangrycustomer relays the details of Verizon Wireless CMO John Stratton’s take on what awaits ad agencies in the years to come. Sounds like someone’s been taking a ride on the Cluetrain (or listening to Kevin Roberts of Saatchi & Saatchi). Some highlights of Stratton’s remarks:

“What you’ve been selling for the last 50 years no longer works.”

“Before they figure out where to put their money, your marketer clients will hire and fire agency after agency, seeking someone, anyone, who can tell them where they might go next.”

“But your clients actually need more than just an audience. One of the consequences of the evolution of our media-delivery systems over the last 10 years is that the audience you do ultimately find is much less receptive to the message you’re trying to send. They are absolutely armed and ready to get to the content they want while avoiding the message you are trying to implant within it.”

“They need much more than an audience. They need an audience that cares about what they have to say. They need their message to be relevant to the audience they are saying it to.”

It is tempting to wonder how it could take so long for such educated and experienced people to understand this. But it is refreshing and heartening to hear very blunt talk along these lines from someone in Stratton’s position.

The fact is that individual companies have been figuring this out on their own, without much guidance from industry bigwigs or major research projects, for years now. It is, after all, pretty straightforward to understand. The question for businesses everywhere is whether or not they are going to wait on the industry bigwigs and major research projects to help them figure out how it all applies to them. If the answer is no, keep visiting this blog or get in touch.

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