I was just flipping through CIO Magazine looking at the ads and here’s what I found. There were 17 full page ads: 8 were all type, 4 used simple product shots and the rest clip or stock art. What would Don Draper say? And I’m talking about ads from companies like HP, Dell, CA, Symantec and Palm — companies that should know better.
Let’s not even get into whether the ads have an idea, support the brand strategy or are well written. B2B print advertising today is a joke. If it wasn’t for clip art, there would be no art. The people tossing these ads together (tossers) are not professional ad crafters, they’re drag-and-droppers. This is “We’re here!” advertising at best.
Corporations that allow this type of work are lazy. I know the economy is poor and companies are looking for ways to cut corners, but let’s put a little art back into selling. No wonder print is dying. Sad. Peace!
