Mad Men is a show that I have historically gone back and forth on. I watched religiously during the first season, but have come and gone in successive years. For Season 5, I’m back with a vengeance, very much enjoying how Don Draper and company are navigating the turbulent ‘60s.
Without giving anything away, the first three episodes have included heavy doses of the civil rights movement. And last Sunday, the Rolling Stones were a major theme. Season 5 is all about change – starting up a new agency at a crazy time in American history, dealing with life after the J.F.K. assassination, and the personal challenges are all a big part of the disruptiveness of this season’s focus.
And it’s a reminder of the times that we’re living through right now. In some ways, 9/11 and its aftermath is analogous to what those Mad Men experienced back in their day. The British Invasion, racial relations, and (soon) the war in Vietnam and feminism are all part of the major changes of that era.
So Draper, Cooper, and Campbell are charged with coming up with effective ad campaigns while the world roils around them. And the ongoing advertising agency wars about who wins what account are part of the superficial activities these guys take part in. But the larger backdrop of what is taking place in America is a story they cannot escape.
And in a way, isn’t that what we’re experiencing now? In our microcosmic world, we read every day in the trades about format changes and who’s winning this month in Arbitron. But there are bigger, disruptive issues that are stealing that spotlight – politics, war, oil, and of course, the Internet and all the new competition it has wrought. How can we be effective at our jobs when the world is changing around us? There’s an uncomfortable feeling that we all walk around with.
So, this last episode ends with a prescient quote from Roger Sterling (who seems to have the market cornered on great lines). As his importance in the agency is being minimized and he looks at all the change in his life and the world, he asks:
“When is everything going to get back to normal?”
And we instinctively empathize with him because we intuitively know the answer to his question.
It’s not.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
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Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Wow! History repeats or does it? Fred great observation. This weekend friends and I got together in Carlsbad to reminisce about the good old days. On more than one occasion our thoughts turned to navigation in Real life. We left on a note that only two of the five really embraced. I along with one other (I will leave the names out to protect the stupid) have faced the facts that the landscape is different than it ever was and will continue to change as America and the World scramble to redefine ourselves. Their our no guarantees, no rules to follow. You must push social media boundaries remembering that any mistake is really just recon (information) for the next assault. This is a battle where followers will be left to far behind to ever catch up. So doing nothing or a wait and see approach cannot be tolerated. This doesn’t mean you can’t cautious, it’s simply a case of being adaptive and open to the new world at all times. We all need to be explorers and use all of our resources to stay in touch with a public that is fragmented yet united!
Love the unknown and go where no programmer has gone before.
Dave Out
David, absolutely. And the disruptiveness of today is moving even quicker. When you consder the rapid growth of tablets, smartphones, streaming, Facebook – our lives have been changed forever by these technologies, gadgets, and platforms. The past has been trumped by what’s current. While it would be easy to go the Roger Sterling route – shake your head and pour yourself another scotch – all of us need to be open, adaptive, and innovative. Or get run over by a fast-moving truck. Thanks for taking time to comment & read our blog.
As usual Fred you’re on point. Disruption is the new norm. Some industries participate in the disruption and others have it done to them. Circuit City, Borders, Wherehouse, Tower Records, Pontiac, Saturn, Palm, Mervyns, Compaq, Blockbuster, CompUSA, American Airlines, Saab, K-B Toys, Hummer, Life magazine, Hostess, FAO Schwartz, Kodak were all waiting for things to go back to normal.
Disturbingly we have a new normal in broadcasting; it’s the story of Wall Street’s quarter by quarter adjustments not just the annual Christmas “right-sizing”. And yet broadcasters seem to think everything is fine because as the research always shows – 93% of the people are still tuning in each week so what could be wrong if there are still customers in the store? The devil is always in the details.
Take the latest Pew Research report.
The headline is – “traditional radio is by no means a thing of the past”. The details reveal – “there is also evidence in the data that people listen to AM/FM out convenience rather than out of deeper appreciation for the content. Less than a quarter of adults, 22%, said in a 2011 survey by Arbitron that they “love” local AM/FM radio. This is far less than those who reported “loving” other audio devices, including the iPhone (66%), Android smartphone (49%), digital video recorders (48%), iPod (46%), broadband internet (46%) and even satellite radio (39%)”. I’m sure Techsurvey 8 will detail this even further.
https://stateofthemedia.org/2012/audio-how-far-will-digital-go/
Perception is reality. People feel before they act. The industry is not acknowledging that people aren’t feeling radio and they’re dedicating more of their time to many other things and doing so with passion. Radio needs the disruption that comes from fresh blood and the thinking that goes with it. Without it we are the next generation of Mad Men in a start-up world.
Mike, I always appreciate your perspective. We used to look at habit as an asset in radio – people are in the habit of turning on their car radios, they listen to our morning show out of habit, and so on. Today, that lack of passionate commitment to a medium or a brand is the beginning of the end. The radio stations that are connecting emotionally with audiences are thriving – for everyone else doing a good job at the fundamentals, that lack of “remarkability” is an accident waiting to happen. Seth Godin says so, and he’s correct. Thanks for continuing to add to the conversation.