David Droga, the most decorated man in Cannes history, is hiring engineers to make voice messaging and email apps. He also thinks the innovation category at Cannes, which brings scientists and technologists to the table, will be the festival's biggest. Is this the end of advertising as we know it?
The short answer is yes. But “that doesn't mean I want to get out of advertising” said Droga, “I just want to broaden it.”
Advertising is not going away, he said, “The whole world needs advertising and branding; it just needs to be done better. The way to make it better is to get it out there and see. The more great ideas that are integrated into society will only elevate our industry.”
One problem facing industry is that while advertising has “some of the best problem solvers,” it doesn't have the opportunity, due to time pressure, the demand for instant results and the cyclical campaign mindset, to iterate and innovate. “That is what we as an industry need to find ways of doing”
While some feel the golden age of advertising is dead, Droga feels that this is “the best time ... “I don't have the answers, but I have the intentions”.
Droga said De-De, the design development incubator he has launched, is working on products “that vary from voice messaging service to an email visualiser to a social amplifier”.
But why would a creative, especially one regarded as perhaps the best in the business, go there?
“I'm doing it so we can attract great engineers that don't want to work in advertising but do want to work in development.”
So that should be good news for clients. Possibly, but Droga's not thinking that way.
“I'm not doing it for clients, I'm doing it for the benefit of society. If clients want to use [the products] as consumers they can. We are creatives, we are problem solvers and that is our responsibility.
“I could go and buy a yacht,” said Droga. But he has better things to do.
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