Viewpoint: Advertising needs rats, not tails

This viewpoint discusses the need for balanced metrics to combat the rise of short-termism and provide a better analysis of campaign success.
Viewpoint

Advertising needs rats, not tails

Richard Shotton

Manning Gottlieb OMD

In the spring of 1902 the Hanoi governor was worried: a bubonic plague outbreak threatened to spiral out of control. The governor wanted to exterminate the city’s rats but he lacked the necessary staff. After puzzling over his conundrum he had a brainwave: a bounty for every rat’s tail handed in.

At first, his idea worked wonderfully – tails poured in. Hundreds each day in March, thousands in May, peaking on 12 June at a staggering 20,114.

But there was a problem. Despite the growing tail collection, there was...

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