The Bolshevization of Advertising

I make no secret of my disdain for the current way of doing business.

I'm not a fan of open plan seating.
Burgeoning corporate hierarchies.
Or the absurd fascination with digital marketing, to the exclusion of tried-and-true media like TV, print or outdoor boards.

But my mama didn't raise no fool.

And if I'm going to continue to put expensive organic food from Gelson's supermarket on my dinner table or send my daughter's to ridiculously overpriced universities, I've got to adopt, adapt and survive.

The latest trend in adland seems to have been ripped straight from the pages of Karl Marx. It's a new brand of collectivism.

The thinking goes like this: if having one art director and copywriter is good for solving a problem, then  having 50 art directors and 50 copywriters can only mean solving the problem 50 times faster and 50 times better.

It's similar to my approach with cough medicine. If one teaspoon is good, then 4 tablespoons of the codeine-enhanced nectar can only be better. Most the time however it results with me falling head first into my bowl of whole wheat rigatoni.

But here's the the problem with working this way -- it doesn't work.

Don't take it from me, take from this odd computer-generated voice with the ironic Russian accent:

While I'm more comfortable working alone or with an art director, particularly one who can come up with the funny, I'm more than happy to participate in this Soviet-style search for solutions. Particularly if someone is paying me a decent capitalist-style day rate.

However, I can't but feel sorry for the today's young creative trying to make a name for himself or herself. Because if you can't take ownership of the work you can't claim ownership of the rewards.

Bolshevism didn't work for Mother Russia, I doubt it's going to enjoy much success in the halls of Mother, Crispin Porter or BBDO.