Bill Bernbach, the founder of Doyle Dane Bernbach, once said that for advertising to work, it has to leave the recipient of the message a little happier. In other words, it has to entertain just a little.
That does not seem to be true now.
Too much of what passes for advertising today is either heavy-handed, trying to bludgeon the customer into buying, or so self-consciously anti-advertising that the point escapes you entirely. The push for transparency, authenticity, and relationship has produced a lot of work that is earnest, well-intentioned, and utterly forgettable. Add to that the flood of AI-generated content that is technically competent and emotionally empty, and the creative landscape has never been more crowded with work that does not actually work.
The argument here is not against modern sensibilities. Advertising should be in tune with its moment. The argument is for putting creativity and genuine craft back into the work. Not belly laughs. Not stunts. Something quieter and more durable: the kind of ad that makes people look twice, followed by that knowing smile and a quiet "hmmm, that's pretty cool."
That standard is harder to hit than it looks. But when agencies hit it, it shows.
The Google Maps spot in which a grown orphan uses Google Earth to find his birthplace in India and reconnect with his birth mother earned that response from millions of viewers. It sold nothing directly. It demonstrated the product's capability through a story that was completely, uncomplicatedly human. The Nike "Possibilities" campaign took "Just Do It" and pushed it further than the line had ever gone, pairing an everyday runner against world-class athletes in a way that was funny, moving, and absolutely on brand.
Those spots share something with the great campaigns of earlier decades. The James Garner and Mariette Hartley Polaroid ads. The two ordinary guys on the porch selling Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers. The Kodak campaigns that made people feel the weight of their own memories. The creative philosophy behind all of them was the same: find the emotional truth, tell it with craft and wit, and trust the audience to respond.
That philosophy did not expire. It just went out of fashion for a while.
The agency business has always rewarded those who could make customers feel something. Brand strategy matters. Community and conversation matter. But advertising is still, at its core, about making an emotional connection. The agencies that hold to that standard, and execute it at a high level, are the ones clients seek out when the work really needs to work.
Make that your agency's creative standard. Then make sure your team knows it.
