Adman Confessions

I spent four years reading books about advertising, preparing myself for the moment I would actually be on the field practicing my trade. Now, as I embark on my adventure to adapt to the industry's corporate culture and learn its survival skills, I will report my observations of one of the most demanding and competitive careers. This is my monthly field report: an ethnographic series. I have spent three weeks living and observing life at an advertising agency as an entry-level Account Coordinator, and I have to admit that, compared to my class projects at school, entry-level work in Account Management is everything but exciting. Be prepared for a lot of routine maintenance: you will likely spend most of your day filling out templates that request job numbers or project estimates. You will also do some competitive research and write up recap reports after client calls or presentations. The highlights will come when you sit-in on creative presentations and hear every one's c...

Being married and all, I have not been on a date in a long time; however, the more I interview at advertising agencies, the more it feels like dating. First, you get the call and feel excited; then you start worrying about what to wear and first impressions. On your way to the actual interview, you start thinking about what to say and ask. When you finally meet the interviewer, you try to come across as confident but your hands are sweaty and as cold as ice. The person greets you by saying "Juan? Hi, my name is [blank]." and you introduce yourself by saying "Hi, I'm Juan!" even though the person has clearly mentioned your name already. At this point you are sarcastically thinking "Nice one dude." but the key to any date is to finish strong. You find yourself sitting right across from the interviewer and, minus the appetizers and drinks, you go straight into the discourse. Personally, I feel better when interviews are more like conversations whet...

We should all know how important Latino consumers are to our brands. Data has shown that the Latino population has grown significantly and that the benefits of advertising effectively to them are great; this is the very reason why Hollywood has started to reach Latinos and speak their language. I was surprised when I saw Vin Diesel take the stage at the Premios Billborard 2009, but then I had a deeper feeling when he started speaking my language: if I had to describe that feeling in one word it would be joy. I was happy that the promoters for the movie "Fast & Furious" recognized the positive impact that the Latino community had on the movie's sales, and I was also happy that they showed their gratitude to Latinos by engaging them directly and promoting the movie in a way that was seamless with the show's content. Then, a couple of days later, I saw Hugh Jackman on another popular Latino show called Nuestra Belleza Latina. Personally, Vin Diesel's appearan...

Last night, as I watched the final episodes of Trust Me on my DVR, I found myself zipping through every single commercial. Let me remind you that I am an advertiser and instead of skipping commercials I am supposed to be analyzing them; however, the action of simply pressing a button to fast-forward straight into my TV series has become second nature. A DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is an enhanced cable box that allows users to record, store and eventually play back TV programming at their own leisure. The issue surrounding the DVR is that more consumers are embracing this technology and using its commercial-skip function to zip through commercial breaks; this leaves advertisers trying to justify a significant TV budget while knowing that there is a possibility that the spots will not even be seen. Advertisers are thinking of ways to get around the DVR. They have options like product placement and branded entertainment, in which the brand contributes to the program's content in ...

Advertising will never be as easy as it was during its birth. It was easier to reach consumers in the beginning because their eyeballs were either in a newspaper or on a screen, but now, given all the mediums and clutter that compete for attention, it is more difficult to reach consumers. David Ogilvy perfectly stated that in advertising change is our lifeblood, and, in order to survive, agencies have to change by using technology to reach consumers and stand out. The power of print is weakening as digital approaches the forefront; this is why we advertisers must take print to the next level by using technology. Rufus B. Seder appeared on CNN to showcase his life tiles and bestselling books with moving images; while seeing the report I immediately thought, this is the future of print. Imagine a newspaper with a moving advertisement as you flip the page, the thought of it took me back to the movie Minority Report with Tom Cruise. Now think of the cell phone. The device is almost a...

There has been a lot of feedback regarding the new Skittles website. Some seem to applaud the effort, others are saying the results will tell and critics are, well, criticizing. I am, on the other hand, still trying to make up my mind about the site. At first, I kept analyzing the site to determine its purpose, how it would lead to ROI or even, considering the fact that the brand's advertising and website is tailored to adults, convince me to purchase Skittles. Then it hit me, I was thinking like a company. Skittles.com may be simply about the people. People with a common interest - their like/dislike of skittles - who now have a social platform to engage and share thoughts, not only about the brand, but each other. Looking over the tweets and comments that people have posted, some are senseless and others have substance. The only problem is that one can only say so much about candy. Therefore, to survive, Skittles has to regularly join the conversation as a person that...

When was the last time you stopped to look at a print ad while skipping through the pages of a magazine or newspaper? I personally cannot remember. With ad pages diminishing for nearly every publication, it seems like advertisers are noticing that their hard work is practically nonexistent in consumers' minds. Some say print advertising is at its doom...I think not. We have to find better ways to use print while securing ROI for our clients' ad dollars. Print advertising, in its normal form, is not as effective anymore because consumers have developed a talent of ignoring them. They are more interested in the content of the publication, than in advertisements that tune each other out within the clutter. So, how do we use print to get the attention of consumers? Esquire Magazine did something really unexpected on the cover of its February issue: it used a flap next to an invitation asking consumers to "open here". Inside the flap were quotations from articles an...