Imagine a world without ads

At CES last month, P&G's CBO (Chief Brand Officer) Mark Pritchard described a future world with no ads, where people block most digital ads and subscribe to ad-free things they really want. His response is — wait for it — to "move from wasteful mass marketing to mass one-to-one brand-building." 

Haven't we heard that one before? Except this time it's not social media and its promise of 1:1 "relationships" with consumers. It's "smart products & solutions" that will lure people into deeper "engagement" with their toothbrush brand. 

Some people will indeed get more out of those branded services. Most people just want the toothbrush to work and not cost an arm and a leg. This is empirical truth, a law of nature.

Regardless, everyone has to learn about the brand somehow. Mass marketing is still one of the best ways to let people know the brand even exists, to let them know that the company is legit, and to maybe make them think of it (favorably?) when they're deciding what to buy.

P&G's Pritchard prepares for 'world with no ads’. 2.11.2019. WARC