A Note from the Good Professor . . .
Dr. Neal Burns

In a very direct sense, the initial interest in experiential advertising theory and tactics was a reaction to - what appeared to some - as a lose of effectiveness in the 30 second spot or the interest in gaining the center spread with a four color double truck in a special interest publication. The chaos that resulted brought many of us to examine the business models upon which the traditional agencies were built and the theories that seemed to stem from A.I.D.A - a linear scheme that ignored the independence of the audience. The combination of new technology and a huge cultural shift in terms of values and attitudes in the past 10 years were to the best of us, confusing - and to many so threatening that denial appeared as a reasonable reaction - "This is just a phase - soon we'll get back to normal."  

Alternative advertising techniques gained share of mind - and share of budget - and not only experiential but also interactive, consumer generated content and the rapid growth in numbers and influence of social networking moved from being considered "fringe" to a position in the center of campaign planning.

To the extent that advertising practice and its business model - along with many other media related enterprises - is going through change and upheaval, examining these social networks and exploring the impact of blogs , chat , e-mail, Twitter , Facebook - and the others - is an interesting and critical new dimension. Looking at its impact and using those resources clearly augments our experiential efforts and, as the recent results at the Advertising Festival in Cannes showed, may replace much of traditional advertising (Check out page 1 of the 6/29 issue of AdAge) . . . we are in a period that Bob Garfield call "the post-advertising era".

All in all, this is a great time to be involved in this business. And the EMF is an ever-improving resource for those of us trying to understand wotinthehell is going on. You guys agree?

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