Jeff Jarvis points us to an interesting article in AdAge (but also reprinted - tee hee hee - on this blog) on The Power of Us economy (my pick for brilliant insights into the new economy, even with the popups) and how marketing/advertising has to change to get with it.

This brings up another (#4) justification of marketing* for me: Advertisers are benefactors.

Yep. Sure, they are really irritating benefactors, popping up stuff, interupting us constantly, whizzing and whirring and buzzing in our ears as we try to enjoy ourselves using, reading and consuming all of the free stuff made available because of advertising revenue, but they are benefactors nonetheless.

In fact, I think that advertising dollars should have some charitable write off status...okay, maybe that's going too far.

But seriously, advertising pays for us to enjoy entertainment for free or reduced costs. Sure, we could think of other things to put in place of advertising, but for now, that's what it does. Then we sometimes (...um...very occasionally...um...rarely....) thank the advertisers by buying their stuff.

So, let's stop beating up advertising and encourage Madison Avenue et al to keep spending both on and offline like maniacs on futile campaigns, 'cause I like free stuff.
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*FYI, I interchange Advertising and Marketing even though Advertising is merely a branch or extension or even execution of Marketing...forgive me, I have my reasons.

TAGS: marketing, advertising, powerofus, wemedia, jeffjarvis