Mad Men, an American drama series had a spectacular journey of seven seasons. With the final episode of the series airing in 2015, it was quite difficult to say goodbye to one of the greatest creative directors, and later, entrepreneur, Don Draper. His character is so uniquely portrayed that it’s almost abysmal to see it come to an end. For those who have not yet watched the show, it has a lot to offer especially for the people working in the advertising domain. There are many classic lessons that all advertising and PR businesses can benefit from.
Top 5 lessons you can learn from Mad Men’s Don Draper
- Diversity Is What Leads To Success
One of Don’s talent was to recognize the potential in each client and that one size doesn’t fit all. And, diversity in the workplace offers employees to open up their minds to produce creative and better ideas.
- Know Your Audience
As already mentioned, one of Draper’s primary talents is to analyze what consumers have an eye for and developing a strategy surrounding that analysis. Throughout the series, it is transpicuous that Draper is able to sniff out not only what his clients want, but also what the consumers want as well. So, success in marketing and PR in the modern times can not only be achieved with an online certification in advertising and PR, but it also requires understanding your audience, and that includes your clients as well as their target audience.
- Create an Open and Inclusive Environment
Diversity is not enough, you need to make sure the employees have an open and honest environment where they know they can contribute freely without being criticized. The key here is, creating an inclusive environment so people can share ideas without judgment.
- Advertising is All About Selling Happiness
Advertising is based on one and only one thing – Happiness. You cannot sell sadness, boredom, or lies. People need to know what good is going to come by using your product. Like that new car smell that feels like home, or freedom. Or it can be a road-side billboard reassuring you that whatever it is you are doing is okay. These things stick. A positive message imprints in the mind of the customer, and whenever they require service of your offering, they’ll think about that billboard and relate to your product.
- In-person Interactions Still Go a Long Way
This is a long-lost art that was practiced years from now when there were no video conferences or the internet. But, this is an important one, face-to-face interactions have always been more fruitful than on call or via email or video conferencing. There is simply no better way to make a connection than in-person.
Bottom Line
The entire series is filled with advertising lessons, so it a must-watch for people looking to build a career in advertising & PR. As far as theoretical and practical knowledge is concerned, a public relations online course can help you make the connection. By allowing you to immerse in the detailed curriculum of real-life scenarios and a series of practical exams, an Advertisement, and PR online course aims to equip you with requisite knowledge and skills required to close a deal.