Mad Men | Generation Y | Don Draper | Sterling Cooper

Beyond Mad Men: It’s Time for Brand School

Rex, you are right. The clients of Mad Men also need to go back to school. Marketing no longer holds sway in organizations because the function has been dis-intermediated. Their colleagues in the call center talk more frequently to the customer. The IT manager has more customer data than them. The solution is for marketing people to better understand the organization's business plan and go talk with other colleagues who interact with the customer.

Alan Kay, Principal, The Glasgow Group - March 13, 2010

I've been searching for that perfect Brand Management school for quite sometime now. I agree that Univ. of Wisconsin's CBPM is the most focussed program. But there is a huge gap between demand

Jatin Rai, Brand - March 13, 2010

I've been searching for that perfect Brand Management school for quite sometime now. I agree that Univ. of Wisconsin's CBPM is the most focussed program. But there is a huge gap between demand

Jatin Rai, Brand - March 13, 2010

One very good online program is Masters in Digital Marketing at IE Business School, Madrid, Spain.

Jatin Rai, Brand - March 13, 2010

I just completed the ESSEC MBA in Luxury Brand Management in Paris which heavily emphasizes branding for the development of brand equity = and over the top profits such as LV's. One can look to France for a good example of centuries of brand "story" telling.

Brand Builder, Art Director, Brand Planner, ESSEC Luxe - March 15, 2010

I agree wholeheartedly Rex, and will be delivering a very similar message at the Marketing 2.0 Conference in Paris next week. Mad Men marketing is no longer an option. You only list US-based programs in your article - we've just launched a new Masters in Marketing and Creativity on the London campus of ESCP Europe Business School - we are certainly very serious not only about brands, but about the huge role of consumers in shaping their brands. It's not just through social media, but across all touchpoints. That's what our students and faculty are passionate about!

Marie Taillard, Professor of Marketing, ESCP Europe Business School - March 17, 2010

you're right on the money, rex. we need to retool our programs to become effective brand shepherds. as an educator i find that among the challenges in embracing this new model is trying to figure out how these new channels can be used strategically and how to properly evaluate their metrics. one tactical device i'm using is my blog, branding=m3 (http://brandingm3.wordpress.com), which attempts (among other things) to link the new model with the old. but it is a work in progress, and it is work that must, alas, take place in concert with colleagues who may or may not see the value in becoming less like mad men and more like brand men. that's the first order of business: for academic programs and departments to think more like brands themselves!

Jeffrey J. Maciejewski, Associate Professor, Creighton University - March 17, 2010

Talking of significant switches and transitions from one big marketing framework (advertising centered) to another (social media focused) is fine, but the real fundamental is that all marketing is still dependent on the same basic human tools of communication - words (spoken and written) and pictures (still or moving) … i.e. basically ‘sight and/or sound’. These are what permit all

Bruce Dickson, Consultant, Tourism Development Solutions (TCDS) - March 18, 2010

The modern era of intrusive advertising deserves to die, but certainty concerning correct readings of social transitions is also dangerous. Who knows, this 'intelligent Y generation' may also one day tire of it all and for a variety of reasons consciously choose to reassert (and restore to something approaching its previous status) the merits of face to face connections over their current preoccupation with the new social media options!

Bruce Dickson, Consultant, Tourism Development Solutions (TCDS) - March 18, 2010

I'm not familiar with Mad Men-tality as represented on the TV show, but I can appreciate the reference and you have articulated your points clearly. I'm a big fan of authenticity...both in terms of consuming it and in terms of conveying it. As I was reading this, I was wondering who the target audience is for this article? Maybe because I have immersed myself in social media over the last two years or so, I am already in a certain mindset. Of course, there are many out there who have yet to be converted. Institutions - supposedly carrying the view of the future from the ivory tower - are indeed sometimes the slowest to move forward. That said, I am not sure about discarding the "old" entirely...but I do think that embracing the "new order" can help organizations grow. Thanks for sharing.

Manisha Shahane, Artist, www.ManishaMusic.com - March 19, 2010

Just wanted to say how much I appreciated this article. 10 years ago I had traditional marketing and advertising courses, but I majored in Information Studies. That curriculum is all about connection people and information, sense-making, and understanding individuals and communities. I really lucked into the right education mix!

Emily Leahy - March 20, 2010

This is a great subject. I just want to point out the "Rex" Brand. I don't know Rex Whisman, but looking at his photo here tells a Brand story about him. This photo makes me laugh and I want to believe Rex uses the photo because he has a great sense of humor with authority in his work. The personal brand is on everything you do online. You are always selling your brand. Think about this... in the "70's" only Real Estate Agents had their photo on business cards to sell their personal brand. Now you need to put your photo on everything and tell a good story.

Chris Hill, Producer, MSRP - March 20, 2010

As a brand practitioner active in the interactive media arena for almost two decades, it is becoming increasingly painful to watch and listen as pundits, experts and media wags incessantly flog the curative benefits of Web 2.0 and social media for ailing brands and floundering market initiatives.

Contrary to these popular notions, crowd-sourcing a company’s brand marketing through social media efforts will bestow neither credibility nor authenticity to the company, its products, or services.

Out on the bleeding edge, it’s been apparent for some time now that early social media adopters have begun to change their interaction and consumption habits, once again. There are a number of reasons for this trend but, key among them, is a backlash against monetization efforts designed to attract marketers to these communities.

And, if there is one thing we should have all learned in school it is that you can’t become popular simply by sitting where the cool kids hang out.

Gunnar Loy, Executive Creative Director, Triibe - March 20, 2010

Rex, Data is one of the most important differences between last century marketing and today's marketing. You're right on how social media adds another layer of complexity but this new "brand school" needs on its curriculum a strong component of DataModeling and PerformanceAnalysis in order to effectively create value to your brand. Check the Center for Brand Leadership at Indiana University, one of the best research centers on brands and most comprehensive MBA programs in consumer marketing

Jairo Ochoa - March 20, 2010

Thanks Rex - excellent article!

Edward M. O'Hara, Owner, Chief Creative Officer, SME, Inc. - March 22, 2010

Unfortuantely, the Mad Men mentality is still present at the senior management level of most communications company. As much as they state the opposite, senior managers of communication firms DO believe that TV and newspaper ads are the real deal.I recommend my clients to look at those companies' portfolios. Because portfolio never lies. If it is dominated by TV and print ad, I would say watch out!Gunter Soydanbay - www.soydanbay.com

Gunter Soydanbay, Brand Strategy Consultant, Soydanbay Consulting - March 23, 2010

Speaking as a Millennial, one issue I see here is that the social media generation is not yet old enough to be professors, and the “Mad Men” professors are too old to be engaged enough in this constantly evolving category. Secondly, Gunnar Loy brings up a really good point and I support his idea that as brands begin to infiltrate these online comminutes, the social media adopters will find new platforms that will become exclusive again, and void of the big brands. As I see fan pages for one brand after another I simply can’t understand why I should become a “fan” of a brand unless it is extremely engaging (as facobook, youtube, and other social media platforms are all about engaging a participatory culture).

Amanda Soto, Associate Project Director @ Added Value, www.dear-blabby.blogspot.com - March 25, 2010

You've set up a straw man. Good academic courses have never equated marketing with advertising and have emphasized the primary importance of brand building for decades now.The new tools of social media are no doubt game-changing, but it is far too soon to assess their long-term impact on marketing. Yes, it is vital that practitioners learn how to use these tools, but the fundamentals of strategic marketing - as opposed to the execution - are unlikely to change that much in the long-term. Why? Because human beings don't change that much.

David Whiting, Principal, David Whiting Associates Limited - April 17, 2010

Great article and very timely for those of us in Marketing and Advertising today.

John Wohlfeil, Design Director - April 19, 2010

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