Advertising at the Crossroads

The way we do business had, until very recently, remained largely static for over two centuries: large outputs, small profits per units, manufacturing efficiency and oligopolistic competition. Supporting the system was print and broadcast advertising. But in the last couple of decades, the world has seen a dramatic shift. Many advertised goods and services now tend to be high-involvement, and there is a shift to looking for fewer sales and more profit per unit as the ideal. Adding the greatest amount of flux to this model are social and digital media. In short: advertising is at a crossroads. The old methods still work, but they promise no growth. It is the new digital path that will lead sales to grow. Are advertising agencies and marketers prepared for the change? Is a mere tweak of existing operating methods sufficient? How is advertising to become digitally native? Renowned marketing and advertising experts John Philip Jones and Mary Baumgartner Jones compare the US and Indian experiences to investigate what this shift has meant for the industry as well as for business in general. Advertising at the Crossroads is both a lucid guide to decision-making as well as a deeply researched and original look at this challenging and exciting new terrain.