I like advertising, especially when it’s funny. Being English, I’m particularly partial to the beer ads of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. I loved the Guinness series with Rutger Hauer – so sharp and witty. Some of the classic commercials featured much-loved celebs. They were like a ‘mini series’ in their own right. A gorgeous Joan Collins and comedian Leonard Rossiter are served a refreshing glass of Cinzano and as always, the unsuspecting Joan ends up with it drenching her.

When I first landed in Australia, I found the majority of ads to be somewhat unsophisticated in comparison and particularly ‘shouty’. The exceptions of course include the iconic Qantas ‘I still Call Australia Home’ and the very naughty Antz Pantz ad. There are many more fantastic ones of course and everyone who grew up here would have their favourite.

Fast forward a few years and the advertising landscape has changed enormously. The audience is scattered wide. Hard copy magazines and newspapers are declining and you need to grab your audience across a variety of platforms and seek them out in the places where they play.

Part of my ’15 Marketing Tactics on a Shoestring’ lists Facebook Advertising and Content and so I decided to explore it by placing an ad for Bay PR on Facebook. I carefully chose my target audience and ran it for a week or two but frankly saw no return. I think it’s probably best left to the advertising experts. I do think PR is very much a people’s business and there are better ways to generate leads and new business opportunities than advertising. Being a PR professional, I would also tick the ‘content’ box over advertising any time. Great content can be so effective and so this would be my preferred choice.