Perhaps the Truth is Finally Best

This link will take you to a NY Times article on "Advertising in a Post TV World", the whole article is worth at least a skim, but I want to point out a powerful quote in it.

It comes from an ad strategy guy that has worked with lots of big names, XBox, Coke, etc.

We used to joke that advertising was “lying for a living.” We got away with that back then. We can’t anymore. And now, if we get caught in a lie, we’re in trouble.

Now the cynical among us may deny that statement, but I think we can acknowledge it is certainly more true now then it was before.

For those of us in the arts that statement implies both a tremendous threat and a huge opportunity.

Here's the threat that it implies:

It is becoming harder and harder to say things that aren't true.

Don't get me wrong, a big name arts institution can still talk about quality, then deliver something else . . . for a while.

But for you and me i.e. smaller groups or individuals with a much different budget . . . we don't have the history or money to cover our deception for too long.

So if you consistenly (not just one art exhibition, or one play) promise one thing and deliver another then eventually the tech weapons like Metromix, or Yelp, or someone's influential blog are going to spread that message.  Then you got trouble.

Here's the opportunity:

Now, probably more then any other time in history, your good art . . . well marketed has a chance of connecting with an audience.

Not a guarantee.

But a chance.

And yes it's going to take time and skill and a bit of luck, but still, there is a chance.

That's because the truth of your work, the quality, the passion can be spread by your audience (via technology) if they feel as strongly about your work as you do.

Comments

[Tony]

An old timer I used to know was fond of saying "if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you told everybody."

[Nick Keenan]

Man, I love that quote, Tony.

[Lindsay Price]

What a positive spin on these times - maybe good art is what will see you through.

That just makes my day.