Should We Start Thinking About a World With No Ads?

April 4, 2019 by 

“I have worked as a copywriter for the past 20 years in Australia, the UK and in Singapore where I am currently an associate creative director. So, does my industry have a future, and in what form?”

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Ogilvy’s Nicholas Cocks wonders the above in a new article in Mumbrella Asia. What, specifically, Cocks is referring to is a quote from Proctor and Gamble CMO Marc Pritchard at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, where he wondered aloud about a “world with no ads.” For those folks who find advertising intrusive, that could sound like a welcome change.

But as Cocks explores, a “world without ads” doesn’t mean a world without advertising. Instead, our current moment, dominated more and more by data, tracking and the big-four tech behemoths, is evidence that this shift is already happening.

“What we still call advertising is turning into well-placed prompts. It’s arguably closer to fulfillment. Our discretion is waning. Our choice is being messed with.”

“Something is happening,” Cocks writes. “How far do we let it go?”

Check out the full article at Mumbrella to find out.


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