I found that line in the 1981 notebook of the brilliant Elias Canetti.
It holds a quite pointed challenge for current advertising. There's certainly no shortage of words about dialogue and honesty in 'advertising 2.0'. But the most important kind of honesty is honesty of intent.
Do we really mean it when we say we want 'dialogue'? Or are we mostly saying it because we know the consumer won't listen otherwise?
If you have a genuine interest in dialogue, how will it show?
If you don't, wouldn't it be better to find a more honest form of advertising?
What kind of backlash can be expected if advertisers keep saying 'dialogue' yet giving speeches?
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