Design, Art, and Advertising
I just spent the past hour catching up on a few RSS feeds. Of the 800+ items I skimmed through (does anyone really read anything these days?!), Dan Saffer’s post on Design, Art and Advertising caught my eye.
In it, Dan asserts that:
“. . there is a crucial difference between design and advertising, and it is the same difference as between art and design, and that is intent.”
He goes on to say:
“At its core, however, advertising is about two things: making consumers aware of a product, and convincing them to purchase/use said product. It is about about what can be gotten from the consumer, using their wants and needs to make a product desirable . .
Design, however, is about what can be done for the user. It is a service, really. How can I make this person’s life easier, more efficient, better? Advertising promises this, design has to deliver on it. The reason for doing design is different than the reason for doing advertising. Design doesn’t just use customer needs for gain (although profit is assuredly a by-product of doing design well), but tries to address them for the user’s benefit.”
I couldn’t agree more.
And yet, the most puzzling thing to me – as someone who works in the design business – is why so many companies continue to put advertising at the centre of their businesses. They are happy to spend fortunes on ‘promises’, but under-invest in the products that are their users’ reality. It staggers me that so many people (particularly senior management) seem to believe that long-term brand equity is built through promise rather than product/service (and customers’ experiences with these things).
I recall a conference in Wellington a few years back where, after a suspiciously endearing presentation about SISOMO and the future of advertising by Saatchi & Saatchi’s NZ CEO Andrew Stone, Sam Morgan took the stage and boldly stated that TradeMe didn’t believe in advertising. There was much cheering from the crowd. And yet, fast-forward a few years and advertising still gets the lions’ share of corporate spend compared to design.
Why?
- Is it because our universities teach our business people how to market rather than how to make?
- Is it because we humans find it easier to focus on the short-term (Mmm – tasty burger!) than the long-term (Sheesh – look at my gut!)?
(And am I right to associate advertising with the former?!)
Well – what do you think?
Disclaimer: Mad Men is one of my favourite TV shows.
Tags: Advertising, Business, Design
November 17th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
I agree, good design is important, but if your focus is on MAKING, you will get killed. Think China.
Also, having great design and fit for purpose is great, but no good to anyone if they don’t know it is available. Hence advertising.
And yes, some companies butcher thier advertising. Various reasons for this.
I prefer to take a step at the greater dsicpline of Marketing. Design fits into this much better, as it is about Product, People & Place (remember the 4 p’s?) And Price. No use havinga well designed product if no one wants to pay for it, or the benfit of the design is not Real or Felt.
Anyway, I could go on, but it is not about Advertising vs Design. It is actually about: Does your product fit your market? Is it what they want? If so make it, and get it to them, at optimal profit. Design and Advertising are just players in the the Marketing function of a good business.
February 21st, 2010 at 9:30 am
I’m down with Dom on this. If people consider advertising and design in silos and labels they’ll miss what matters – the user/customers needs.