Objectivity is The Priceless Ingredient in Advertising.

The advertising industry is often brought to the back of the woodshed for not taking its own medicine. Ad agencies rarely advertise.

For an industry that needs to attract customers as much as their own clients do, it’s a odd thing. But I know the reason why.

They have no objectivity.

Not only can’t they see the forest, but they are nose-to-bark to the trees. I can tell you, from the years I spent in advertising agencies, the worst assignment of all is the “house ad.” Coming up with an advertisement for the agency itself. The problem is that there is no comfortable distance. No neutrality. No detachment.

One of the greatest things an ad agency can offer an advertiser is objectivity. The most effective advertising is born of that gap. Most advertisers are too in love with their products. They live, eat, sleep and dream their products. That’s too much love. Too much lust. Too much obsession.

Advertisers look at consumers from their product’s viewpoint. That's the wrong end of the binoculars. But an agency looks back at the product from the consumer’s viewpoint. That’s important, because this allows an ad agency to analyze the relationship. To ask the right questions without having a vested interest in the answers. To identify the obstacles to purchase that an obsessed eye might overlook, or ignore, or pretend aren't there.

That's why film directors need editors. Editors don't care how much it cost to shoot the scene, how long it took to shoot, how difficult it was to pull off, how many takes it took, or how beautiful it looks because it rained one hour before it was shot. Editors only care that the scene progresses the story. A director friend of mine sat with his editor and proudly said, "This is the most beautiful scene in the entire movie." The editor said, "Bill, that beautiful scene has to go, it doesn't help the story." The director sulked, the scene was cut, the movie was better for it.

That’s why actors and sports celebrities have agents. It’s almost impossible to objectively negotiate for yourself, too much passion gets in the way. Negotiating needs a clear, cold mind. Ever tried writing your own bio? That’s an hour in purgatory. But have someone else write it, it’s a thing of beauty. Proofread your own writing, and your eye will constantly overlook typos, but have someone else proofread it, and the mistakes are apparent. This inability to see typos is called the “printer’s illusion.” An objective eye sees what a familiar eye is blind to.

That’s why I always question advertisers who boast of an in-house ad agency. Yes, I get the financial reasons for keeping it in-house, but I don’t understand for a moment their belief that they can bring objectivity to their own advertising. It’s an illusion.

So, therefore, the real answer to how advertising agencies should advertise themselves – is to hire another agency to come up with the ad.

There’s a good idea.

That will never happen.