Tim Manners' 'Relevance': a critique of what is wrong with advertising

What they fail to understand is that ubiquity and relevance are not the same thing. When everything from egg shells to urinals is turned into advertising media, something has gone horribly wrong.

In "Relevance," marketing consultant Tim Manners rails against the many things he believes have gone "horribly wrong" with marketing. Somehow, somewhere, marketers have lost sight of what marketing is really about -- which is "to help people solve problems and live happier lives." Instead, they have created "an epidemic of irrelevance [that] has brought once-powerful brands to their knees."

Many brand managers have made careers of trying to make their brands "aspirational," for example. But, the author thunders, marketers are confusing happiness with materialism.

"The entire advertising industry is built on the premise that we can buy our way into being smarter, sexier, cooler or more popular," he writes. "Deep down we all know this is one big lie."

Manners reserves his greatest venom for advertising. "It does not help anyone solve any problems or live a happier life. It is simply an annoyance."

Yet, far from admitting this mistake, advertisers are making the same basic error again and again in new guises. Some think the answer to doubts about advertising effectiveness is to deliver their message across so many media that consumers cannot ignore them.

Some say the secret is to involve consumers in creating their own commercials. Others say the future lies in all things digital. Yet others look to word-of-mouth recommendation, hoping to turn customers into unpaid brand "advocates."

But, says Manners, "it makes no difference whether your medium is television, the Internet, the outernet or somebody's underwear. And it makes no difference whether your message is emotional, funny, or sexy. . . . There is only one thing that is truly relevant to consumers, and that is (drumroll please) the product."

Brands need to rediscover their relevance, which means they need better insight, innovation and investment along with excellent design, superior brand experiences and, of course, outstanding value "so they are worth every penny."