“Most advertising is horrible,” says Sean Finnegan of true[X] at New York Social Media Week
True[X]’s chief strategy officer, Sean Finnegan, said that advertisers are struggling, particularly in the digital sphere, while speaking during a panel at New York Social Media Week.
The panel was moderated by Wall Street Journal’s Suzanne Vranica and used the “Moonwalking bear” commercial (above), a British ad that showcased the dangers of distraction, as an example of the best ways to keep viewers interested.
The problem, Finnegan said, didn’t lie in the online content, which he called “amazing” and “compelling.”
Rather, great content in the digital sphere was often followed by “terrible” advertisements. Which can be a problem, especially because the “average attention span is eight seconds.”
Finnegan said that the industry has gotten distracted by the innovation of technology and the best ways that technology can be used. Thus, the quality of the advertising itself is often overlooked.
“We need to spend more quality time developing ads that are consistent with a brands message,” he added.
According to Finnegan, the secret to avoiding “stuffing” the internet with ads is basing advertisements on the value of the impression a brand wants to make, rather than the volume of the content.
New York Social Media Week is set to continue till Friday.