Douglas Holt and James Twitchell
Yo Doug,
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StumbleUponI don't know if this kind of stuff interests you but it's fascinating to me.
What's the difference between advertising and art? Your comments yesterday on repetition and reading Shakespeare make me think about this. Thanks.
Comment only if interested: Otherwise we'll get in the Superficial Mobile and go elsewhere. You decide.
Art is whatever is in museums, in anthologies, played by major symphony orchestras. It depends on gatekeepers. Since the 19th century, it has reveled in the "shock of the new." Low repetition. Put the Mona Lisa on too many washcloths, hear the "William Tell Overture" too many times, read "To be or not to be" over and over, and you wear it out. Creativity is currently prized. But art is subject to intense whimsy: Shakespeare was rewritten in the 18th century: too uncouth. Now Bardolotry, as it's known as, reigns. The Bard can do no wrong. Art "appreciation" is a very culture-based event, what you guys would call a "social construction." Never more iffy than today. Art is up for grabs. Armani in the Guggenheim. Jackie O. at the Met. What the hell's going on? No kidding, I have no idea. That's one reason I've jumped ship.
Advertising is a story told about a product. There are a lot of these stories, zillions all over the world. Great advertising, however, is a story so powerful it can actually move the product off the shelf. It usually depends on high repetition because you are trying to link a story to a product. Very hard to do. Mostly luck. In fact even great ads shown only once like LBJ's "Daisy" and the Apple's "1984" were picked up and repeated ad infinitum by other media. Creativity often gets in the way. There are very few examples of great advertising. Absolut is such an example. I would say 99 percent of advertising is currently wasted, just stories, no cha-ching. (So why do it? Tax deductibility is important. If you had a choice of advertising or paying taxes, you'd probably advertise. Who knows? It might "work.") Advertising "appreciation" is judged in terms of increased sales, if it's judged at all. Aside from those stupid award shows that have nothing to do with great advertising. You know, like Clios, et al. In advertising, "art director" is a misnomer; the industry should reconsider another word.
Now the questions: Is advertising art? Answer: not yet. Will advertising be considered art in a generation? Answer: yup. Is art advertising? Answer: yes, often.
Want your money back?
Jim
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Reader Comments From The Fray
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[Notes from the Fray Editor: Let's talk about coffee. Joseph Britt., below, was just one of many--follow the thread, and consider the question of tipping the barista. He still had time to discuss milk, here, too. And Brendan Herlihy took on ice-cream here. Neill Hamilton is looking for more "dissent, anger, blood feuds... I want the people writing in the Breakfast Table to open up life long vendettas" here (he always is, he's the Breakfast Table's official trouble-maker), but Richard Walrath enjoyed the banter: "it's almost like being there with the third cup of coffee."]
We're really talking about two different things here, aren't we? Coffee, and then all the froofy coffee-influenced liquid dessert-style beverages that take up most of the space on coffee house menus. I have nothing against the latter (because making fun of them is always a good time), but coffee is a really serious subject. If you're going to drink something nearly every day, it might as well be good. This is why I've never understood all the sneering condescension directed at Starbucks. Pre-Starbucks, most coffee served in public places was awful--you were ahead of the game if you ordered came out hot, caffeinated and with no taste at all. OK, most coffee served in public places is still awful, but with Starbucks you at least have the choice of having a good cup of coffee.
I confess I think Starbucks is slipping, based on extensive research I've done at the Minneapolis Airport. They used to offer a rotation of different coffees--Sumatra, Mocha Java, even New Guinea--but now seem to mostly serve up a couple of blends with names like "European" and "Christmas." Talk about your brand marketing. Also they routinely serve the coffee so hot you wonder if there is something wrong with the water they're using.
--Joseph Britt
(To reply, click here.)
Maybe the students in Mr. Twitchell's anecdote couldn't tell good poetry from bad without guidance, but this doesn't strike me as being universally true. Poetry isn't my thing, but music is, and I have no trouble separating the good from the bad using only my own ears. If there wasn't something intrinsic in good art, we wouldn't, over time, have come to a general agreement about the relative worth of, say, Mozart vs. Salieri.
--Chloe Pajerek
(To reply, click here.)
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