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Cable marketing executives came to hear a top advertising agency exec's thoughts about the next big thing. Award-winning BBDO chairman and chief creative officer David Lubars have them an answer that was probably surprising yet familiar.
"The next big thing is TV," Lubars told a session at the CTAM in New York conference on Thursday. " I believe we are in the golden age of TV."
Lubars rattled off a long list of outstanding shows on broadcast -- Modern Family, The Good Wife, Fringe, Friday Night Lights -- and cable -- Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Men of a Certain Age, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Dexter. "This golden age kicks other golden age's butts," he said.
In fact, there are so many good shows on now that there are many he hasn't gotten a chance to see, like Glee and The Playboy Club.
Not only are the shows better, but more people are watching TV than other, with Facebook, Twitter and other social media driving viewership.
All of this makes TV an outstanding medium for advertising, according to Lubars.. "We're putting our clients in a lot of TV," he said, pointing to quotes from top marketers stating that TV remains a vital part of their marketing efforts.
TV can not only create a great first impression, but is also the best way to reinvent your brand, he added.
Lubars said his agency tries to surround the killer shows on television with killer commercials, and shows several including the Little Darth Vader spot for Volkswagen and the Betty White Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, created by BBDO.
Super Bowl spots are expensive for 30-second, but the benefits of a TV spots can last for months, he said. He described how the Betty White Super Bowl spot stayed in the news for weeks, became fodder for talk shows and lived on via YouTube and other online video sites."That's how one commercial can just keep giving and giving.," Lubars said.
"TV Is like Keith Richards and roaches," he concluded. "You won't be able to kill them."
