You Call This a Poll? Horrible!
This is a HORRIBLE “poll.” This isn’t research – not exploratory or definitive. It’s just a high school popularity contest gone wrong. Don’t know who designed this poll but, it is really, really bad - and honestly, a bit embarrassing. I mean really bad and unreliable. I really hope Adweek gets their stuff together and decides to scrap this idea or at least to make it kosher. Here are just some aspects about this research project that really tickle me the wrong way:
(1) The Sample. Anyone can vote and they can vote 100 times if they’d like. The end results are going to be skewed. Duh! And probably by agency size and the amount of PR buzz they can generate for a call to action for others to vote for them. Again, popularity contest not valid research results.
(2) Answer Choices. Seriously Adweek, where’s Fallon for agency of the year? Seriously? I never had the pleasure of working there (don’t think I’d last though a Minnesota winter even with snowmobiling) but come on. Not to include them. That’s just wrong and stupid. Fallon was one of the first agencies in adopt Connection Planning, they producing some memorable and effective campaigns and raised some of this decade’s greatest creatives and planners. Come on. Really!?!? Oh, and what about Audi’s Art of the Heist as Ad Campaign or at least Digital Campaign of the decade. Granted, I’m biased as I was part of this campaign’s success but again, come on…really? Audi’s Art of the Heist campaign was the first brand marketing effort to use alternate reality gaming (according to the Harvard Business Review – arg was one of the top twenty breakthrough ideas). The campaign was such a huge success that we actually sold our of A3s earlier than expected. So again Adweek let me stress, the answer choices – amateur.
Time to wrap up this post. Only one key takeaway. Adweek, ethically, these results should NOT be published. Regain credibility and either pull the plug on this project or add validity to it. That is essential.
