Clutter is in my opinion the biggest danger facing the industry today and one that the business is being too slow to get to grips with.
We don't need to see the usual media charts and tables to highlight the problem - just walk down any high street or airport and you will see clutter's insidious effects. Every piece of consumer research now highlights that consumers perceive there to be more advertising; more junk mail; more promotions; more stuff. Our lives are getting more hectic and the levels of commercial noise are not helping to relieve the tension.
Perversely, while the industry spends much of the time talking about the challenges of cutting through the clutter of advertising, the media and communications industry is simply making the situation worse. We put advertising messages into new spaces and we communicate with people when they least expect it. We have even invented a new name. ‘ambient media'; to describe this phenomenon. To be fair, may of these are clever, amusing and arguably pretty effective. Unfortunately, however, as the ambient sector becomes more popular, the sheer amount of noise will become ever more prevalent. I was staggered the other day to learn that there are now 400 specialist ambient media companies in the UK alone, offering a range of non-conventional mediums from bananas to coffee cups, pizza boxes to urinals.
Ambient techniques are not a modern phenomenon of course. In 19th century Britain leaflets promoting tooth powder were distributed over London by exploding artillery shells and some bright spark even invented a shoe that could be used to stamp brand logos on pavements.
Concerns about advertising clutter were also shared by earlier generations. In 1861, annual handbill distribution was estimated at 1.15 billion in London alone. A market researcher of the time established that during a walk through the UK capital the average pedestrian would have 225 handbills stuffed into his fist.
Even when we are not devising clever ambient media ideas, we talk about ‘immersing the consumer in communication', as if this were a good thing and we call it ‘total communications' to give it a veneer of respectability. Te result is simply more noise, more clutter and an even less interested and engaged consumer.
It is time to revisit what we mean by total communications, which contrary to many current initiatives is not about totally downing the consumer on communication. Neither is it about bombarding the consumer with commercial messages during every waking hour.
This was one of the themes developed by Naomi Klein in No Logo. She devoted a whole section of the book, arguably the most disturbing part, to the invasion by brands of previously non-commercial space: our schools, our hospitals, our parks and our museums. To the growing anti corporate movement, brands have become too ubiquitous and our public spaces too cluttered ... and our governments and institutions too willing to allow brands to enter the non-commercial space.
As a result, these people are not simply avoiding advertising, but are talking direct action on brands and their owners, boycotting stores, defacing posters and undermining big brand reputations all across the news media.
Fortunately for us, the vast majority of consumers don't respond to all of this commercial noise by trashing the nearest Starbucks. Instead they simply screen things out, either physically, by changing channels on the remote control , or by mentally switching-off. And technology is allowing for greater filtering of commercial messages.
So what are the solutions? The last thing a total communications approach should be advocating is more media. It is about smarter media: talking to the right people, at the right time, in the right context and with the right message. This all seems simple, but how often does this really happen?
If our communication isn't adding value to the consumer experience, we are simply adding to the clutter. Sometimes this value can be tangible, like offering someone free use of a car covered in ads or free phone calls if they are prepared to listen to a few minutes of advertising. Equally, value can be delivered through the provision of an added-value service - or even something as simple as making the consumer laugh.
There is nothing wrong about shocking people: some of the best art has shocked. However trying to shock for the sake of it is almost always counter productive and very quickly the audience will grow tired. It is like walking into a crowded room and starting to shout. You will grab everyone's attention, but very quickly people will start looking for the exits or the straightjacket.
