SORRELL SURRENDERS

The scope of the empire Sorrell built is unprecedented in the history of the advertising industry.
WPP consists of over 400 individual companies with over 3,000 offices in over 100 countries employing over 200,000 people. More than any other corporation in the advertising industry, WPP was the extended shadow of one man -- Martin Sorrell.

Two weeks ago it was reported by The Wall Street Journal that Sorrell was being investigated for "misuse of assets and allegations of improper behavior." Sorrell denied the allegations but stepped down suddenly yesterday. According to The Guardian, a report to the WPP Board was expected later this week.

It is hard to overestimate the impact that this could have on an industry already reeling from multiple scandals. As I have said too many times already, the consolidation of the ad industry into the hands of a few financial wise guys has been a disaster. Over the years, I have not been kind to Sorrell. But I have to grudgingly admit that he did provide leadership to an industry that seems empty at the top.

Filling his shoes is going to be a very difficult proposition - and not just because of his tiny little feet. There is only one man with the knowledge and experience to step right in and seamlessly maintain a culture of "misuse of assets and...improper behavior." But, unfortunately, I have a haircut scheduled next week, so I'll have to pass.

Zuckerberg seems to have won the day by boring everyone silly with platitudes developed by his army of lawyers and PR consultants. To be honest, I didn't watch much of it and I'm not really sure what happened... I'll have my team get back to you.

From the brief time I wasted watching, here are some observations:

   - Zuckerberg was way better prepared than any of the congressbozos.

   - I tried watching some "highlights" on the news and the only one who seemed to know what he was there for was Sen. Creepy Cruz who at least had the sense to advance his political agenda.

   - The self-righteousness and ignorance of the questioners accomplished the near-impossible -- made Robo-Zuck a sympathetic character.

   - Crystal balling: People are going to have more protection from online privacy abuse but it's not going to come easy and it's not going to come from the US government. Washington is going to be mostly irrelevant in the development of consumer protections against data and privacy abuse. The EU and its GDPR have taken the lead on this and will become the de facto agents for establishment of privacy policies as the large digital players apply GDPR-compliant policies across the globe. Also look to the state of California to develop meaningful restraints.

   - This doesn't mean that Google, Facebook, and assorted other techweasels aren't going to be busting their humps creating cynical legal interpretations of the GDPR which will take years for regulators to sort out.

   - The Bottom Line-- Congress is beyond clueless. It was an embarrassing performance. The editorial board of a high school newspaper could have done a better job.

But, of course, once a "narrative" has been hatched it can never be un-narratived. So despite the fact that every square inch of the freaking planet is covered in advertising -- and despite the relentless onslaught of horrifying online advertising -- be prepared for another 10 years of horseshit about the death of advertising. Agencies may die, but advertising will live forever.

Walk into any ad agency in the world and in 10 seconds something will become obvious. Everyone is young.

While people over 50 comprise 42% of adults in the US, they comprise only 6% of agency employees. This is even more pronounced in creative departments where people over 50 make up about 0% of the population.

The reason for this is that young people are just more creative. Or are they? Let's have a quick look around...

There is only one Nobel Prize in a creative field. It is the prize for Literature. Last year it went to Kazuo Ishiguro who is 64.

The recent Pulitzer Prize awards were interesting.

The Pulitzer for Drama went to Lynn Nottage who is 54.

The Pulitzer for History went to Heather Ann Thompson, age 55.

The Pulitzer for Poetry went to Tyehimba Jess, age 53.

Meanwhile at this year's Academy Awards, three of the four winners for acting were over 50: Francis McDormand, 60; Gary Oldman, 59, and Allison Janney, 58. The fourth, Sam Rockwell, will be 50 in November.

The Oscar for Best Director went to Guillermo del Toro, who is 53.

Next we move to television.

The Emmy for Best Drama Series went to The Handmaid's Tale. The novel was written by Margaret Atwood who is 79 and is creative consultant on the show.

The Best Comedy Series went to Veep, executive produced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 57. She also won for Best Actress.

Best Limited Series went to Big Little Lies created by David E Kelley, 62.

The Best Supporting Actor was John Lithgow, 73; Best Supporting Actress was Ann Dowd, 62.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series went to Alec Baldwin, 60.

So, let's recap.

People over 50 aren't creative enough to write a f***ing banner ad, but they are creative enough to dominate in Nobels, Pulitzers, Oscars, and Emmys. I guarantee you, not one of these brilliantly talented people could get a job in an ad agency today. Not one.

Is there another industry on earth that is as steeped in intolerance and as thoroughly isolated from reality as the ad industry?

"...it's a book that should be read by everybody in the industry," and "...he can rightly pat himself on the back and say: 'told you so.'"

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