Like everyone else, we’re always asking the question, what is the future of advertising?
What’s to become of these big international behemoths like Publicis or Havas?
Who knows? The biggest conversation we see seems to be that these ad agencies can no longer attract the talent they once could, losing out to internet companies and tech startups. That’s not a good sign.
Our attitude is, if you’re thinking of getting into the business, don’t worry so much about how the entire industry plans on reinventing itself (it doesn’t really have a plan, for one thing), instead think in terms of finding a unique and under-subscribed niche and exploiting the heck out of it.
Here’s one example. Colossal Media in Brooklyn specializes in something vinyl posters were supposed to have made obsolete decades ago: hand-painted wall advertising.
These guys get out in all weathers- in the rain, snow, and 110-degree summer- and hand-paint advertising murals, a medium that suits old-school New York to a tee.
It’s a tough job with long hours, but it’s also one that takes a great deal of skill and dedication. It’s not for everybody but the clients who like it, really like it and are willing to pay big bucks for it.
The hardest thing in business, especially in a creative services business like advertising, is making yourself irreplaceable. Finding a niche, then owning it, is a good place to start.
