POV
Advertising is a lost art.
It is the medium we use to communicate our creations. It exists everywhere. On every level. American life is a function of advertising. In some way shape or form, everything we do / buy / consume, has been communicated to us via advertising. And yet the innovation, ingenuity, and fearless creativity that drove American consumerism to great heights in the 90s has been subdued, overtaken by big data, AI, and straight up mediocrity.
Bold advertising campaigns are virtually non-existent.
The Big Idea has gone the way of the dinosaur. Even worse, most of the iconic ad agencies have been swallowed up by major conglomerates who play a numbers game. Their soulless focus is to create efficiencies, not art. And the result, is a dehumanization of the modern American consumer.
How did we get here?
This decline didn’t happen overnight.
As our technology evolved, the industry became increasingly obsessed with efficiency, scale, and attribution. The rise of digital advertising promised something seductive: measurable results.
Suddenly, every click, scroll, & impression could be tracked, tested, & optimized in real time. Performance marketing became the north star. CMOs stopped asking for “ideas that break through” and started demanding “ROAS”.
The creative departments that once drove agency culture were pushed aside in favor of data scientists, growth hackers, & media strategists. In this new ecosystem, the art of storytelling was downgraded to content production — disposable, forgettable, often irrelevant.
Holding companies began consolidating agencies, prioritizing profit margins & media buying power over creative excellence.
Agencies were forced to do more with less.
Budgets shrank. Timelines compressed. Fear crept in. Risk became a liability instead of a prerequisite for greatness. Add to that the algorithmic flattening of taste. Where platform trends dictate aesthetics. Brands chase the same recycled tropes & you get a culture of sameness.
Advertising didn’t just get less creative. It got scared. And in the absence of brave ideas, mediocrity took the throne.
What now?
It’s time for a creative renaissance.
A return to bravery. A revival of the belief that advertising is not just a cog in the wheel of commerce, but the lever of culture. We need to stop building brands around what’s safe, and start building them around what’s true. What’s bold. What makes people feel something.
Because in a world oversaturated with content, what cuts through isn’t just targeting — it’s resonance.
The future belongs to the advertisers who are willing to take risks again.. to the brands that choose conviction over consensus.. to those who understand that great advertising isn’t just about selling.
It’s about connecting. It’s about giving people language for their desires, images for their dreams, and stories that remind them they’re not alone.
We don’t need more content. We need more meaning.
We don’t need more impressions. We need more impact.
And we don’t need more ads. We need more ideas.
