Mill Thought | Josh Mandel: Now, next, future

NOW

How have advertisers, agencies, and production companies adapted for Covid-19 and what have been the positive changes you have observed during this time?

The principle change has been around how to adapt to this “new normal.” Do you take a breath and go dark on your marketing and content efforts, or do you find new ways to create things in a world where live-action isn’t your normal creative option? The effort to create meaningful and effective work has necessarily increased and I think we’ll see some brands rise to that challenge while others choose to sit and wait.

NEXT

As the industry emerges from Covid-19, what immediate changes do you expect to see?

Personally, I hope we’ll see brands get back to the business of meaningful insight. There’s been a little too much “group-speak” in terms of how companies have elected to address their audiences, with overuse of language like “uncertain times” and “facing things together.” People have reacted so creatively to the impact of staying at home – learning how to bake, using technology to stay in touch, re-imagining who they want to be when we get back to “normal” – and I think we’re now seeing brands realise that they have the same opportunities to get creative.

FUTURE

Looking beyond Covid-19, what does the future of advertising look like and how might this have been influenced by what happened in 2020?

I’d like to believe that we’ve been in a world over the last 10 years or so where the demand for truly effective creativity has only increased. First, it was the sea change introduced by digital as a channel and then the abundance of places where people can spend their time and their attention. And now we’re presented with a world event that is causing people to reevaluate the things that are – and aren’t – meaningful to them. So if you’re not in the business of meaningful creative product, you’d better get there.

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