Mad Men: Ad Men

No branding blog would be complete without a discussion of the popular show 'Mad Men', which revolves around the crazy world of ad men on Madison Avenue in the 60's.

Just the other day i was catching up on some of the earlier episodes and I marveled at the fact at how they so casually applied branding principles in their advertising at a time when these theories were still being named and developed by academia. While not questioning the accuracy of Mad Men...you have to wonder about the use of branding (marketing) theory in a popular show and if academics and practitioners in reality are all that far apart??

Going back to Mad Men, its fascinating to watch the creation and development of an ad campaign, with all the glamor and alcohol, which still capturing the brand essence of the product. Although similar principles (maybe without the alcohol?) are applied today for advertisements with less than half the air time, Rex Whisman's article Beyond Mad Men comes to mind in which he states that while definitely alluring Mad Men principles are outdated in today's fast paced world in which the consumer market is changing fast, and media they use as well.

A definite must read, the article reinforces the importance of having solid brand roots, which is what sustains a brand and not just glitzy advertising.

Mad Men is must watch show not only for branding and advertising fanatics (like me!) but also for those who just love good entertainment!