by Devon Suter, VP, Executive Creative Director, Dalton Agency
So, it turns out, making the sausage isn’t that interesting to regular folks. Maybe not literally, but statistically speaking, no one is watching The Pitch.
AMC’s “reality” show about ad agencies battling it out for business was obviously supposed to capitalize on the popularity of Mad Men, but it seems what people like about Mad Men isn’t the advertising. To watch it live and follow the Twitter feed for The Pitch, you’d think that it must be the most compelling thing ever – until you realize virtually everyone Tweeting is some kind of marketing professional.
Compartmentalizing myself as TV fan instead of an ad guy, I’d say it’s pretty good TV. Some episodes are more nailbiting than others. After airing the “Sneak Preview” starring WDCW and McKinney, I suspect some focus groups demanded we get more intimate looks at the downtime and personal lives of these modern day Don Drapers and Roger Sterlings. Which was a huge mistake. What’s more interesting – seeing how the germination of an idea can flower into a cultural touchpoint, or watching someone make stir fry with their boyfriend? Bad call, suits.
