Last year the editors at AllBusiness.com's sister brand Hoovers compiled a list of the top 15 ad campaigns of all time. I'll wait here while you check it out.
Back?
Obviously this is subjective stuff. Those who compiled that list probably teeter toward the Boomer-end of the generational totter. Nevertheless, only two of those 15 campaigns were created in the last 20 years -- Got Milk and Geico's Cavemen. Aside from my favorite duck being dissed like spoiled pate, I mostly agree with this list.
Why the trend??
1. Ads can't cut through the clutter anymore. Once upon a time there was ABC, NBC and CBS. Quaint huh? Shooting the breeze around the water cooler worked because --- there really was a water cooler which was free to the employees -- and people were watching the same shows.
For awhile, NBC resurrected the concept of "appointment TV" with its legendary Thursday night line-up of Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court and Hill St. Blues. Now everyone is tuned into their own esoteric cable channels and social networks. Although Shark Week does seem to be transcending.
2. Most of the campaigns were created by agencies BEFORE they were gobbled up by conglomerates. Frequently it was that very campaign which made them so tasty. Draw your own conclusions about today's global creative shops vs. the "big" agencies of yesteryear.
3. Most of those campaigns have a "you" component. They are very
personal or emotional. Like a Paul Simon song or Frank Capra movie, they stand the test of time because they are willing to engage. Their
goal is empathy.
4. Creatives weren't being lured away from Madison Ave by Hollywood back then the way they are now. Don't believe me? How many film schools were around before 1980? Now it seems every community college and technical school has a "cinema" degree.
5. Too many of today's ads focus exclusively on the product itself rather than the customer experience or benefits. Marketers are under greater pressure than ever to "prove" ROI. If you are in charge of marketing and don't hard sell the product, your "strategy" can be dissected, followed by your job.
6. We don’t have the attention span to let something stick around for
10
minutes, let alone 10 years. Everyone today seeks instant results. No
longer do ideas get a chance to marinate or catch on through word of
mouth.
7. The products themselves were relatively new. M&M's were first sold in the mid-40's. Rice Krispies in 1939. The great campaigns followed shortly thereafter. 
Most of today's iconic brands are decades old -- change is a dirty word (blog coming on that topic) around those corporate water coolers. It often takes a "boutique" to send a jolt of creative lightening into a mature company, convincing them that taking no risk is the greatest risk of all.
Clients no longer seek a campaign that reaches everybody. Now everything is tailored specifically to men, women, teens, Hispanics, parakeet owners, etc. We're not even getting the chance to transcend a generation the way those 15 did. Perhaps Mad Men
has connected the way it has because those really were the good ole' days of
advertising.
Anyone disagree?
PS - thank you Ty.
