“Insist on all four."

So, it's come to this.

Last Saturday, I had a debate with Perplexity and, I’ll be damned if the machine didn’t get the better of it.

By "better," I mean it came up with perspectives I hadn't considered and in a context, grand klong notwithstanding, that made a lot of sense.

A “grand klong,” of course, being defined as “a sudden rush of shit to the heart.”

In fairness, this kind of probabilistic acuity is both intriguing and worrying. The former b/c it feels like we’re starting to see beyond the hype to the useful edges of what AI can truly bring to the party.

The latter speaks for itself.

The joy started when, for reasons known only to my imaginary therapist, I asked whether rumors of advertising’s impending demise were, per Mark Twain, “greatly exaggerated.”

The answer bot's short answer: nope.  Not in the face of threats ranging from unsupportable margin pressures to late client payment dates to platform concentration to ad avoidance to AI collapsing the compensation models.

And that’s the short list.

“Riddle me this: isn’t retaking ownership of creative the only answer for advertising to survive both structural decline and transitional pressures?”

The slender shaft of sunlight that returned was a hearty “yeah, but.” 

Perplexity didn’t quarrel that creativity is critical, particularly with brand differentiation and distinction as deliverables. But then it added three other “must-haves” that really got me thinking.

Objectivity — because your brand urgently needs clarity in the face of audience, channel, and media complexity. That's a non-starter if your sherpa doesn't have both the independence of judgement and the skills to build what Perplexity called "strategic orchestration across fragmented systems.'

Loyalty — putting the brand’s interest first, and not the agency's.  Sounds like that should be an obvious duh, but when you think about trillion-dollar platforms promising paradise within their razorwire-lined walled gardens, plus all three of the biggest ad holding companies selling their own pre-purchased media for undisclosed profits, well, caveat your emptor and your ass.

Integrity — the strength of convictions that commands staying true to the work, to the mission, and no wiggle room here, the client.  Which can't happen if everything is transactional.

Back in the day, the remarkable Bob Brihn and his Fallon co-conspirator George Gier ginned up a spot for FedEx international shipping that featured a not-home team delivery van careening through an unnamed, but clearly foreign, city.

As the truck narrowly avoids one disaster after another, the voiceover lists the four things you really need when sending your package abroad.  As the ad comes to the end, and the van screeches onto a pier, flying off into the water, the narrator concludes “insist on all four.”

Creativity, objectivity, loyalty, integrity.

Turns out that the FedEx guy, like Perplexity, had that right:

“Insist on all four.”