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Is that a bad thing? Is that a new thing?
Despite all the angst and concern over artificial intelligence and automation coming to destroy all our advertising careers, there is nothing new here. In my many years of media operation experience I look at all the ridiculous, redundant manual processes that we successfully exorcised from the workflow. Each one of these meant a change in what we did on a day-to-day basis. With each change in workflow and technological advancement the scale, accuracy, and efficacy increased exponentially.
While the future may look a little scary, few of us would argue for a return to the good old days of manual order entry and management. Even within traditional media, we have created an ecosystem that leverages automated transactions and fulfillment. The only thing that may have changed recently is the velocity of change being fueled by increasingly more powerful technologies and dramatic changes in viewing platforms for video. If you are not seeing change in your media sales organization, it may be time for serious gut check.
The advertising landscape is still ripe with opportunities for improvements including:
Standardization for interoperability for automated audience inventory exchanges regardless of the source
Further interconnection and consolidation of ad operations back offices
Utilization robotics/AI that never sleep
Extending the efficacy of linear and digital video advertising with deep brand and advertiser engagement powered by AI
Try to imagine a world of folding paper maps vs GPS or waiting for the bank to open on Monday to get cash vs going to the ATM. In advertising, there is a continued march towards programmatic buys and a rapid democratization of access to audiences. The winners will be those who can leverage workflows and technology to aggregate ad inventory for easy purchasing of meaningful audiences in a cost-effective way.
We used to say that the only people who really like change are babies with wet diapers and toll booth operators. All change begins with a willingness to change. The smart leaders are consistently looking within their organizations for chances to improve their tech stack and supporting processes. The real thought leaders will examine everything from staffing to pricing. Constant change for the better through small enhancements that will pay large recurring dividends for years going forward.
Now rather than waiting around to be fired by a robot, why not hire a few to work for YOU. Those who embrace the promise and progress that can be unleashed by workflow improvements and tech improvements will continue to prosper and thrive.