Mark Irving - Why we should appreciate advertising more

Just don't say you're in advertising. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today.

Mark Irving, advertising company director, on why we should appreciate advertising more.

I was at a BBQ recently where there were a lot of new faces. As inevitably the conversation swung around to occupations, I took my turn and informed everyone that I worked in advertising. The immediate reactions varied from pity to silence. At that point I should have just squeezed the tomato sauce down my shorts and quietly excused myself.

What is it about advertising that draws such a negative reaction? Is it the combination of bad ads crammed in to the Thursday night feature or too many men in their 50s wearing braces and pony tails. Who knows?

While advertising has often been blamed for society's rampant consumerism. (Just how many Tonka toys does a grown man need?) I'd venture to say that without the evil scourge of advertising we could be living in a very dull world. After all advertising is the industry that supports the wide range of media we currently enjoy.

Without ads there would be no radio, newspaper, TV or internet. I personally enjoy unwinding by reading the paper. It's where I go to be informed and entertained.

While radio in my opinion is the most under rated media as it lets you do all those dull jobs while still being entertained. TV doesn't seem to have the same quality as say 20 years ago, it's still the ultimate medium.

Think of some of the great events of the last 30 years - Live Aid, the All Blacks winning the World Cup in '87 and of course Sarah and TK's Shorty Street wedding. All this made possible by advertising.

We often think of the newspaper, TV or radio industry being fronted by journalists and presenters. While this is true, the people making this possible are the advertising sales representatives and account managers.

It's their job to sell the advertising space or spots that fund the industry. It's one of the most difficult things to sell because you're not putting a product down on someone's desk, where they can pick it up and actually see it work.

This is a very intangible thing where depending on the quality of the advertising agency or creative staff working on the ad, it's something that may or may not work.

The reps often have to cold call on potential customers they have never met or spoken to. They learn to deal with rejection on a daily basis. It's their ability to bounce back, spot the next potential opportunity and make a difference to people's business that are just some of the skills needed in this demanding profession.

As well as the reps and account handlers there are also graphic artists, compositors, sound engineers, actors, planners, media buyers, copywriters, art directors, illustrators, photographers, directors and a whole range of other staff involved in the general advertising industry. It's a workforce that runs into the thousands.

Looking back over the last 100 years there have been many countries throughout the world where the media has either been suppressed or controlled. We're fortunate to live in a society like New Zealand with a huge choice of media available.

Yes, you can still hate those ads but just remember it's those same ads that allow you to enjoy the diverse range of media New Zealand currently enjoys. It's my job as an advertising professional to stop you hating those ads and instead capture your attention and ultimately sell the client's products and services.


Mark Irving is the Director of Range Advertising and Communications.