The Gift of Advertising

by Richard M. Coad
Executive Creative Director
MDB Communications, Inc.

A few days after the tragedy now known as 9/11, the President of the United States addressed the American people. We were desperate, afraid and angry. He implored all of us to rise above and go about our business. He made it clear that inactivity and paralysis were exactly the response the terrorists hoped for. They wanted us to do absolutely nothing. They wanted us to no longer feel free, to fear for our lives and to retreat to the comfort of our homes and stay there. With the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and the destruction of Flight 93, they wanted us to stop feeding the machine known as capitalism. The President summarized a simple defense plan for each of us, a sort of personal counterattack. It was simple and disarming. He invited us all to go out and shop. Perhaps, at the time, it seemed like something of a disconnect. Or even trivial. We’re under attack and the President tells us “to shop?”

If one thinks about it more deeply, and in the context of what it means to live in a capitalist society, it was a brilliant remark, regardless of your current feelings about the administration. Our society thrives on the buying and selling of goods and services. Advertising is critical to this process. (You’re probably saying, “Oh really? How so?”) Advertising is all about two things: Telling people about a product and service, and telling them in such a way that they feel like they need to buy that product or service. Without advertising, the demand for all non-necessities would dwindle quickly (there is much research to support the short memory of the buying public for brand awareness and purchase intent). The demand for goods is the driving factor of our economy. If people
no longer buy things, there is no one to sell to. Without sales, shopping centers, automobile dealers and gas stations would close. As a result, product inventory rises uncontrollably. The process that once moved only forward now stagnates. The supply-side pipeline clogs. Production exceeds demand. With plenty of product on hand, there is no need to continue production. If there is no need for manufacturing, what would workers do? With nothing to do, there’s no need for employees or for companies to remain open. They’re out of business. Without demand, there is no need for supply. And the free enterprise system screeches to a halt. All because someone decided to stop advertising.

So, as you approach the holiday season, and you see lots of demand being created by advertising, rejoice. Advertising is, in the words of Martha Stewart, “a good thing.”

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