I posted a piece on social media and the SuperBowl today on Unica’s Marketing Consortium blog. There were a couple of really good ads produced by fans and consumers, and aired along with those from big league agencies during the game. The quotes around the Internet from ad agency executives and marketing pundits were not dismissive of the ads by any stretch, but their comments do reveal an ivory tower mentality–and in some cases, a fear of being shown up by ordinary people toting cameras creatively. In fact, there’s a very long history of contempt for the unwashed masses on Madison Avenue–ad execs used to famously refer to housewives as "sitting ducks"–that is covered in books like The Image Makers. The book is now out of print, but available used, and gives a fascinated window onto advertising from it’s point in history in the 1980s–a viewpoint that becomes quite poignant when you look at the comments by advertising execs regarding social media. Check it out and let me know if you agree.