Mad Men

So I gave the new, highly touted, excessively promoted AMC mini-series Mad Men a try.

The show is described by the network as "an unflinching look at the ad-men who shaped the hopes and dreams of Americans on a daily basis," including "the sexual exploits and social mores of this most innovative yet ruthless profession."

Hmmm, I wonder which part of that pitch AMC is using to sell time to advertisers...

Anyway, after watching two episodes, I am so incredibly disappointed. Bring back re-runs of thirtysomething please. Despite the network's self-congratulatory "behind-the-scenes" promos on the making of the show, with the director's excruciating attention to detail to guarantee authenticity, it has missed the point completely.

The sex-obsessed plot format fails badly on its promise of realism. How much better to show the gritty, real-world creative process...the many dead ends hit until the eureka moment of a great concept. More than a minute or two of the struggle of egos vs. ideas between the office romance and bedroom scenes would be a good start.

The moral relativism of Mad Men certainly evokes the sexism and sins of the era, but it is way out of balance; and it doesn't reflect the better part of the industry's golden age. For example, the king of advertising in that era, David Ogilvy, took a refreshingly moral approach to advertising. Among his notable statements on the advertising craft:

• "Never run an advertisement you would not want your own family to see."
• "Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your own family to read."
• "You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell them to mine."

It is also important to note that the chauvinistic culture depicted in the show, while clearly the dominant paradigm of the era, was not the only model for gender roles. In fact, as early as 1912, a group of women formed the League of Advertising Women of New York, the first U.S. professional association for women of its kind. There have been many female pioneers in advertising and marketing whose contributions get overlooked in the stereotyping approach of a show like Mad Men. It would be nice to see the show depict this reality. A good plot line would involve a smart, savvy woman putting all those male chauvinists in their place with a big creative idea that trumps their traditional Madison Avenue thinking.

But hey, I'm not a director...I'm just working in the real world of marketing, helping clients who are a whole lot nicer than the ones on TV.