Chaos Scenario 2.0 - Reaction, Part 1

Bob Garfield's nailed an update of his treatise on the chaotic future of marketing, advertising and ad agencies to our collective door.

I can't argue with any of it. (We have seen the enemy, and he is us. Or something like that.) And from the looks of 21 comments on the AdAge servers, most folks would agree.

Bob lists "Five reasons the online world will not only transform traditional modesof advertising, it will largely displace them altogether."

1) People don't like ads
2) But they crave information
3) The consumer is in control. No really.
4) Diversion of ad budgets
5) Pay-per-view

The crux of the chaos is simple: Audiences are fleeing traditional media, but the newer online space isn't nearly stable or developed enough to handle a fraction of the incoming audience. Advertisers want to spend, but there isn't enough inventory worth buying. (We've seen that quite often on some of our accounts.)

So what's a prudent course of action for any of us in the ad game, giventhe close proximity of "a post-apocalyptic media world substantiallydevoid of brand advertising as we have long known it?" What can I do, what can my clients do, right now?

Well, we're in this together. The ad agencies, the media companies, the production companies, the audiences, and our clients. And the solution isn't the sole responsibility of any one party. Which means, if there isn't enough food in our collective grocery store, we'd better start growing more of it ourselves.

[Solution #1:  Participate!]

Seems simple enough. Creating more of the new world faster seems key to surviving the Chaos 2.0 Scenario. Perhaps corporate boards (and shareholders) should require CEOs and top executives to blog. Maybe all political candidates should be required to Twitter. (Doesn't mean any of us have to listen, of course.) But in the process of actively participating, key decision-makers would get a more intimate understanding of the new world and drive their organizations to help solve the looming problem.

Familiarity breeds acceptance. Once hope acceptance breeds greater interest and standards. If we're not familiar, if our clients aren't familiar, then how are any of us to expect a solution to the coming storm?

The latest Wired is chock full of this stuff. And it's absolutely certain 1,000 more blogs and podcasts (especially from CEOs) won't create a truly viable new infrastructure, but it's the thought that counts, right? It's the helpful suggestion, the hint—"Jump in, the water's warm." This is the same sentiment that ultimately built the broadcast TV model. And YouTube. People just started doing it, funding it and ultimately believing in it.

Then, at some point, we tip.