NO MORE AD LAND SUGARCOATING PLEASE!! Ah, 2022. Post-pandemic, the industry was buzzing like never before. We were all as busy as we could have possibly been. It was a glorious time…budgets high, scripts up to my eyeballs, and the industry seemed to have found a renewed vigour. So what has happened since? Many have been struggling, and I hear lots of peers hoping to ‘just get to 2025’ with the hope of a shift in gears from advertisers. Just yesterday, I was reading an article in The Guardian about the film industry facing the same existential struggle. It was a relief to see someone spell it out so plainly, no classic ad land sugar-coating, just a frank reflection of the challenges we're all grappling with. So, what exactly has happened, and more importantly, how do we move forward from here? Creativity seems to still be there. The boards I read on a daily basis are bursting with great ideas, but the resources to support it aren't. This hasn’t stopped us from making some amazing work this year, and no doubt the industry will bounce back soon... right? RIGHT?? The key to surviving (and thriving) in this moment is adaptability, and that’s why we launched Made By Humans. It’s why Imagine This Creative Studio was set up in a different way to most, not another copy and paste business in our overly saturated industry. We're trying new things. We're not just waiting for the next script to drop... we’re actively experimenting. Of course, at some point, the scripts do need to start coming in again. The industry does need a fresh influx of energy from advertisers. But when that happens, and it will, we’ll be ready, with tools and ideas that have been honed in the lean times. Until then, we’ll keep growing, keep experimenting, and keep proving that innovation doesn’t need to break the bank. I'd love to see some statistics about the advertising and production space with the same level of detail as the Guardian article shares. Has anyone seen anything interesting? https://lnkd.in/dwrvPuSy
Harry Rose
5mo
Really connected with this. I launched my own photo agency from my childhood bedroom living at my mums. Over the years we have grown but I'm not from money and never launched my business with a pot of money to look after me (working part time jobs on weekends). So that cash reserve has really never existed. 2024 has been a shocker. Working twice as hard and seemingly 70% less jobs coming through. Everyone I talk to is finding it hard at the moment. But I get a real sense that this year has made a lot of people hang on for dear life and hope things get better and others have left. I must admit, all the champagne photos during cannes felt a little tone deaf when so many of the teams and creatives these agencies rely on for productions might not be there next time around. Survive to 2025 it is!
Ian Buck
5mo
No sugarcoating? Unfortunately AI might be the final nail in this coffin 🤷🏻♂️ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ianbuck_jumping-ahead-to-when-very-soon-generative-activity-7242266190478245888-GVCI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios
Well said Toby Walsham, local commercials production indies have been walloped and we need to find smart work-arounds
EP/MD and Founder at Tinderflint - WE DO PRODUCTION DIFFERENTLY -
5moPREACH! I was having the same chat with Phoebe Siggins from LBB the other day! There is some data but it's not totally current - would love to know if anyone have more accurate numbers - thanks for putting this out there Toby 👏