5 Most Important Changes...

In advertising, you usually spend all your time looking for the hot, the new, the next. But sometimes it’s good to look back, to appreciate the old that was once new, to see how far we’ve come.

To celebrate our 150th issue, shots takes a nostalgic trip and browses the industry’s rich creative history to pick our favourite 150 agencies, directors, production and post houses, spots, Super Bowl spots, creative gurus, brands, music videos, online campaigns, shots staff most admired work and most important changes.

Going global

The advent of the internet and digital technology plus the ubiquity of mobiles, laptops and other comms devices has meant the term ‘global village’ is no longer simply a term. With brands taking an increasingly global view of their advertising output, and the ability to interact with vast numbers at the push of a button, advertising has had to adapt to a new culture, a culture in which a picture is worth a thousand words, unless those words add up to fewer than 140 characters. It’s also meant a change in working practices; there is  now no such thing as ‘normal working hours’. Constant availability is the norm and checking your phone 24/7 is to the 21st century what a Rolodex was to the 20th.

The democratisation of directing

Time was, you needed a decent amount of money to make a half-decent stab at directing. Cameras weren’t cheap. Film wasn’t cheap. Editing facilities weren’t cheap. Only the dedicated (or rich) could attempt to get a foot on the ladder without outside help. But with digital cameras and editing packages such as Final Cut, anyone could be their own studio. Add in the genesis of online video and platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, and not only could you make content but you could get it in front of people too. Of course, whether you should is another question entirely.

Branded content

The move from ‘push’ to ‘pull’ advertising strategies is exemplified by the term ‘branded content’. What branded content actually is depends on who you ask, but whether it’s a short film, a musical or a Facebook campaign, creating compelling stories that are enjoyed, shared and celebrated without being overtly ‘advertising-ey’ has been a difficult but welcome addition.

The internet

shots was born in 1990 and back then it was all faxes and phonecalls. But as that decade progressed this fancy new invention called the internet heralded a brave new world. Electronic mail, websites, internet shopping, online video… Like all utilities that become second nature, you can’t imagine life without them today, but though the term ‘digital revolution’ feels like a cliché now, that’s certainly what it was. And it’s not over yet.

Mobile

Now, basically, the internet in your pocket. It was predicted that by this year there will be more mobile phones in the world than people. That’s a lot of phones and therefore a lot of potential for brands. Whether it’s an app, a mobile game, some interactive content, a geo-location-based campaign, a second screening element or some other sort of near field communication component, mobile advertising has revolutionised our lives and the way in which we communicate, and are communicated to.