Martin Agency chief says ad industry must change approach

The advertising world is in the midst of profound changes, and agencies will need to adjust the way they tell stories, the top executive at The Martin Agency said yesterday.

John Adams, chairman and CEO of the Shockoe Slip ad shop, said the industry is moving away from an integrated marketing concept and toward a more unified approach.

Integrated marketing, a concept used in agencies and marketing departments for years, brings several departments together, including sales, public relations and advertising, to work on a campaign.

That's not working any longer, he told a gathering of about 200 at the University of Richmond yesterday morning.

The reasons: Competing interests from various departments can cause infighting, the lack of representation from some disciplines doesn't serve clients well, and strategic ideas don't always work across platforms, he said.

Martin has taken a more unified approach to the way it operates, he said.

"We've asked people to embrace new disciplines" and expand their specialties, he told those attending the Robins School of Business' dean's breakfast gathering.

For example, last year the agency created a department that brought all designers and producers together rather than have them spread out in various business and account units.

Adams believes these types of changes are imperative for an agency if it wants to reach consumers. "The very nature of storytelling has changed," he said.

No longer can an advertiser reach an audience simply by creating an image and not showing consumer the benefits of the product, Adams said.

Instead, it needs to tell a story that starts a conversation.

"We have to make advertising more useful if it's to work," he said.

At the same time, the advertising needs to be interesting enough to tell several stories at one time.

Storytelling on certain television shows is a good example, he said. He pointed to NBC's "Heroes," which features multiple developing story lines and characters that unfold over time.

Martin has taken a similar tack with the GEICO account, Adams said.

The direct marketing insurance provider doesn't have agents, so GEICO needs to convey through its advertising that it's friendly, easy, inexpensive and has happy customers.

That can't be done with a single ad campaign, he said.

Instead, it uses four different campaigns featuring separate characters, including the cavemen and the gecko, and story lines to get its message across.

"Marketing is about telling the stories of products and services," he said.

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or .