Well. Call us humbled. Or humiliated. We really can’t decide. It’s been a long time since Adrants has received any notoriety from the media. Back in the day, we were routinely showered with praise from the likes of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Ad Age and many others. In today’s tweet-centric world of social media, not so much. Perhaps it’s the fact no one cares about blogging any more. Or that every copywriter and his art director publishes one. Or that Mashable has basically crushed us all. Whatever the case may be, the glory days of Adrants are over.
But, according to Business Insider, all is, apparently, not lost. It seems there are still 22 influential advertising bloggers feverishly praising and bemoaning the world of advertising on a daily basis.
All the usual suspects are on the list; AdFreak, Adland, Copyranter, AdScam, AgencySpy along with other lesser known but equally interesting blogs.
All are heaped with praise by Business Insider’s Charlie Minato. Well, most. When it comes to Adrants, we are not “the dean of the ad blogoshpere” any longer. No. That crown goes to AdFreak’s Tim Nudd. We don’t write “some of the best editorials on the web.” No. That distinction goes to Ask Wappling of Adland. We’re not “blunt” or “funny.” No. That honor goes to AdScam’s George Parker. And we are not a “must-read” though we used to be according to the Wall Street Journal. No. That title goes to Seth Godin.
So what of Adrants? What is our current claim to fame? Snark? Wit? Attitude? Salaciousness? No. Not even close. When it comes to Adrants, it’s “quantity over quality.” Yes. You read that right, Quantity over quantity. Hmm. If we dig deep, perhaps we can spin that in a positive light. Oh, OK. We’ve got it: We shovel the shit so the other ad bloggers don’t have to. That about gets to the truth, doesn’t it?
But we’re not complaining. No. Not at all. In the same two-sentence review, the second sentence reads, “If new work is breaking, it’s highly likely Adrants has it.” Wait, what? Maybe we are complaining. Hmm. Saying we always break news is kind of politely saying we…um…shovel the shit so other ad bloggers don’t have to.
That said, we suppose there’s a little bit of an upside in all of this. We are in fact (well, according to Business Insider, at least) one of the 22 most influential advertising bloggers in (conceivably) the world. Though the seas don’t part for us on the Carlton Terrace as they once did for Bob Garfield, we are fawned over by 20-something hotties at various ad-related events and parties. That has to count for something, right?
Perhaps there’s something to be said for quantity over quality after all. Perhaps people do want a daily quick hit of advertising news without all the bloated analysis and arm chair quarterbacking. Perhaps knowing most everything there is to know about the ad industry on a daily basis is what the market craves.
OK, yea. This is beginning to feel better. We make sure the advertising industry is informed and has all they need to better the work they do every day. And with that, we humbly accept being dubbed a most influential ad blog.
