Advertising - a ritual !!

The effectiveness of advertising is always under question but still brands continue to advertise again and again and again. So, despite limited proof of success in the past nor a certainity of results in the future - many continue to follow the practice of advertising and spend valuable resources doing this. Now, I would suppose that when the "result" of advertising is so uncertain - brands would be extra careful about making advertising decisions.

But, for a lot of brands - advertising is just a ritual. It is done because it has always been done and needs to be done in a certain way because it has always been done in that way. It is only in the case of rituals that we do things without questioning them - again and again in the same that they have been done in the past. I remember reading an article where they defined a ritual as  - a task done regulary and religiously  without any link to the outcome :-). And, this ritualistic treatment of advertising has got us to a situation that is so well captured in this video.

Brands, needs to very carefully re-look at their consumers. These consumers are changing very fast and unless Brands understand them and appreciate the transformation that they are going through - all communication from advertisers will be a waste. Brands need to make a conscious decision to not do what they did last year and crtically review communication plans for the future.

Do not look at advertising as a ritual - take a fresh view.

Happy advertising!