SPEECH JULY 15   For the record, I worked in advertising for over 25 years, from 1989 to 2013.   This was probably the least rewarding period of my life. That said, it was a valuable learning experience, particularly as I witnessed first-hand the decline of this once powerful industry.   The 1990s and early […]

SPEECH JULY 15   For the record, I worked in advertising for over 25 years, from 1989 to 2013.   This was probably the least rewarding period of my life. That said, it was a valuable learning experience, particularly as I witnessed first-hand the decline of this once powerful industry.   The 1990s and early 2000s was a time of rapid change for the advertising industry. It was a period during which threats to the existing advertising business model undermined the viability of the industry as a whole. That viability is still in question.   Technology has destroyed a number of agency income streams, including commissions on film making, plate making, and expensive linotronic printing. Digital technologies have changed the very definition of advertising media, and how that media is purchased – killing the commission based revenue model and absurd media planning fees charged by agencies.   Internationally, some 50%…