Reels & memes are TV ads & billboards

We think of advertising as that thing that interrupts TV programmes - and, increasingly, streaming shows - occupies print space (the empty bits of which are filled with news and views), looms over flyovers, selling everything from luxury apartments to national/notional happiness.

Its principal ambition is to persuade consumers to buy something. Its secondary ambition is to persuade them that they enjoy being persuaded. With social media has come the discovery that people are more than happy to watch ads, provided nobody calls them ads.

The 30-sec TV commercial is now a reel. The meme is a miniature billboard. The ad creative is now an influencer or, in particularly unfortunate cases, a thought leader.


A man dancing with a refrigerator may be promoting the appliance, his dancing skills or a cryptocurrency.

We may never know for sure. More often than not, the advertiser appears as uncertain as the audience. This isn't new. You can't recall what was being advertised even though you still love the jingle. What has changed is the economics. Entertainment is no longer merely the bait attached to the commercial hook. It itself is the commodity, measured in views, shares and engagement.

The ultimate commercial triumph of commercials isn't making consumers forget they are watching an ad, but making advertisers forget what they are advertising.