In exactly 30 seconds they show clips of episodes long forgotten. To remind you… exactly why you MUST watch the new season. Remind you what you love and crave about the show.

Here we go again

AMC’s hit advertising show Mad Men is off to a great start

AMC’s hit show Mad Men started its fourth season this last Sunday and my wife and I were bursting with anticipation. The last season ended with the future of the fictional ad agency, Sterling Cooper, hanging from a thread and it felt like an eternity of waiting to see what would happen next.

If you’ve missed the last three seasons, just know that I’ll be spilling the beans on some happenings in the first episode of season four below…so if you hate spoilers: READ NO FURTHER. For those of you who don’t mind, the backdrop for the show is important to know before reading on: The show takes place in 1960’s New York, specifically Madison Avenue, the hub of western advertising, especially back then. The show is filled to the brim with alcoholism, sex, infidelity, excitement and a look at the workings of ad agencies.

For those of you who are avid watchers of the show… did you like the new episode or did you think it was lacking?

I thought it was great. The new season started off with a bang; all sorts of PR problems and growing pains of a fledgling advertising agency make the screen burn with conflict. My favorite part of the whole show was when the protagonist (Donald Draper played by 2008 Golden Globe winner John Hamm) throws a client out of the office for being so stuck in their ways that they can’t think outside the box.

I got such a rush from that scene! I think all creative department workers dream of doing this to a client at one point or another, even though they probably never have. It can drive one crazy when a company, who by the way is coming to you because they need to change their strategy, are unwilling to listen to the creative ideas that will help them reach their market.

Sometimes, all the client really wants is a new production of an ad they’re already running. It’s as if they expect to turn a huge profit on the same ad. Many times these same clients then act totally surprised when the same ad produces the same results.

I’ve lost hundreds of hours on rewrites just because the account executive is scared he’s going to lose a client. And truthfully, I don’t mind rewriting an ad if it’s in the name of progress. After all every business should be involved in their own advertising campaign and should help come up with concepts that will attract more customers. That and, well, the more I write, the better I become in the long run.

So tell us…do you love the show?

What was your favorite season?

How is season 4 treating you?

What was you’re favorite scene?

Until next time…Happy Marketing