An Economic Analogy From the Land of Mickey Mouse

By Amie Mollo, Account Manager

I had the recent privilege of attending the 2009 American Advertising Federation (AAF) 4th District Conference and ADDY Awards at the Marriott Orlando World Center. It was a motivating weekend with an agenda of informative meetings, enlightening keynote speakers and an exciting ADDY awards program. I gained a new appreciation for the AAF and its function on a local, district and national level to benefit the advertising industry.

The speaker I found most interesting was Will Gay, Creative Director at Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group. He offered an inside look at the history of the powerful in-house agency. Gay spoke about creating an experience and the importance of storytelling in Disney advertising. He shared a little of the behind the scenes work in creating the recent Wine festivals at Epcot and the holiday “Paper Wonderland” campaigns. He also shared a little secret to the most productive brainstorming sessions…ping pong!

Of course, the economy was a hot topic. We heard some tips on boosting ad sales in today’s economic crisis. A speaker advised to increase the advertising budget, never decrease it. The following is the perfect analogy to explain the concept. If everyone in a room is talking (advertisers), it is difficult to hear any one person (or advertiser). But if everyone stops talking (advertisers cutting back), then the message of the person who continues talking becomes very clear. So when the competitors get quiet, or stop talking altogether, this is your opportunity to shine. Keep talking and communicating your marketing and advertising messages.