Media developments never come in gangs, nor are they ever simultaneous. New media phenomena always come in phases, sliding in almost unannounced. Initially, even recognition of their existence is hard to establish. Only later do they become accepted, even universal, before fading away to be replaced by a newcomer. Media madness is the latest. It's here now. It's taking hold and growing.
In the 50s, media buying, real trading and negotiation emerged from the post-war system of rationing and allocation. In the 60s, the revolution was media research, and new insights from first-time data changed the way media was bought and sold.
Media planning leapt forward in the 70s, with computerised schedule optimisation et al, while the 80s brought the establishment of media independents and the separation of media and creative agencies.
The 90s experienced media-owner domination, with mergers, acquisitions, and a massive expansion of international media opportunities. This decade has heralded media consolidation, with planning, buying and research operations bulking up.
Now, even before we get to 2010, things are accelerating. A disturbing media phenomenon has recently emerged, one that only now is becoming recognised. There are doubts and uncertainties. Many question its very existence. It still has a long way to go before the majority agree on it - but be assured, media madness is here, growing and flourishing.
The phenomena of media madness can already be defined. It occurs when forces come together with the avowed objective to provide advertisers with a better service, but end up having the opposite effect and operate against advertisers' best interests.
Working for a cure
No single media sector is responsible; all are culpable. Marketing management, procurement, finance, auditors, consultants, research, media agencies, media owners and more are contributing their shares of media madness.
The law of unintended consequences is well-established. It can be readily seen among legislators where quick, inadequately-thought through legislation has the opposite effect to that intended. Unintended consequences have arrived, big time, in the advertising media business in the form of media madness.
The objective of delivering a higher, longer, faster, media and marketing effectiveness service has become fouled up in inadequate processes, misguided operations, confused logistics, faulty metrics and inappropriate structures.
In the coming months I shall be revealing in a short, sharp weekly blog, tangible examples of media madness in operation. All the examples are real and, all make for disturbing reading. I shall not reveal companies, individuals, businesses or campaigns. Their identity is unimportant. The truth is that we are all at fault for allowing media madness to occur and spread.
My hope is that by revealing the nonsense of media madness, we can all focus on what is required to rid it from our business. Only then can we return to a proper true media and marketing effectiveness proposition for advertisers.
In the field
Media madness in operation:
1 The growth of the advertisers' procurement function, as well as the partial abdication of client marketing management from media evaluation, has forced agency fees to such a low point that some media agencies are forced to resort to third-party funding. Transparency is replaced by opacity.
2 Many traditional media owners are so strapped for cash that, to make the books balance, they lose control of their inventory to buyers. We all know what has happened to the travel industry.
3 Independence and objectivity
no longer dominate the media planning agenda. Instead, media plans are being proposed that are more in the interests of the agency than the advertiser.
4 Media auditors dominate much of the incentive payment agenda. Their data is used as solid gold, yet some databases are misleading and inadequate for their purposes.
5 There are now five key media owners in the UK, and no one writes about the amazing fact that not one of them existed as a media owner 10 years ago.
Visit to read John Billett on Media Madness