Those who enjoyed the hilarious videos ‘Wall Street Meltdown’ and ‘Wall Street Meltdown: Redux’, created by Terence Kawaja, should watch his latest video, ‘Mad Avenue Blues.’
The video has captivated thousands of viewers on YouTube and was presented at the Federated Media’s Conversational Marketing Summit, hosted in New York. This prolonged parody, played to the classic tune of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ is not only composed to give the audience a good chuckle. It also informs the public of the media and advertising industries’ downfall.
The video depicts that most people are receiving their news and entertainment via digital means, causing higher newspaper prices and crumbling advertising sales.
‘As succeeding generations grow up with the Web, the habit of reading is lost, and it seems improbable that newspapers can survive with nimbler and cheaper Internet competitors,’ Robert Kuttner wrote in a Columbia Journalism Review article that appeared in March.
‘Mad Avenue Blues’ features rewritten lyrics associated with images to ensure the viewer understands the demise of traditional media and the development of the digital revolution.
Kawaja’s chorus sings, ‘Bye-Bye those big upfront buys/Pitched my client who was pliant, but the pitch didn’t fly/And old ad boys were drinking martinis dry singing tech has taken us for a ride/algorithms got me cross-eyed.’ References to television networks that have since plundered are also included.
The video claims it should not be interpreted as offensive, but blames certain individuals for the media and advertisement industries’ inability to generate substantial revenues.
The original song was written, ‘I saw Satan laughing with delight,’ but Kawaja adjusted it to ‘I saw Sergey smirking impishly,’ holding Google co-founder Sergey Brin responsible for changing the habits of readers.
Despite its gloomy outlook on the future of the media, people find it to be inspiring.
Kawaja said good satire points out the truth, making it apparent that this was the intended response.
No matter how people react, more people will certainly provide their take on this conversion to digital media.
”Mad Avenue Blues’ isn’t the final word on the industry,’ Forbes.com CEO Jim Spanfeller said. ‘I think it is a moment in time. Then, the world will turn again.’
Whether people perceive media to be perishing or prospering, it is undoubtedly adapting to our changing world. Those who want the best of both sides are not unreasonable.
Creative advertiser Deanna Lazzoroni said she believes it is possible for ‘digital and traditional to combine to produce true creative harmony, and the ‘Wanamakers’ of the world will actually get the results they desire.’
Lazzoroni is one among few, but many others believe her idea is impossible. Constant tension is present between the two, obviously illustrating that digital and traditional media do not go hand-in-hand.
Is it time for the traditional media to innovate an approach that defies the rules of the game? For traditional media industries, this strategy would not only be preferable, but also more profitable than constantly listening to the same song.
‘Mad Avenue Blues’ pushes people to align their allegiance to either the accustomed media spectrum or the destined digital world.
Katie Edwards is an English sophomore and may be reached at [email protected]
