To the point: decision torment

Recently, for example, the London tabloid The Sun got carried away with a very flat advertising measure: It announced it would ban bare-breasted women from page three. Activists celebrated their victory over Page 3 tradition, while fans of the nude protested vehemently against the deletion. A few days later, breasts were once again swaying on Page 3. The cheap number generated a lot of attention and we all now know again that The Sun doesn't mince words. So, did circulation go up?

A little more imaginative was the announcement of a new novel by US American James Patterson. With over 300 million books sold, the author is one of the most successful authors in the world. Nevertheless, he promoted his new novel "Private Vegas" with a lot of effort: 1,000 fans were able to download the e-book for free - but the thriller destroyed itself within 24 hours. So quick reading was the order of the day. Those who didn't feel like stressing out could buy the novel in bookstores. Or not. And I can't shake off the feeling that the argument between Roger Köppel and Roger Schawinski in Insulted Princess style actually served to bring the quarrel, which had become uninspired, back into the conversation. Do you remember exactly what the scandal was about? Who was Andreas Thiel again? "Roger vs. Roger" is kind of over.

What does all this teach us? Anyone who is not loud today will sink. But those who make noise don't automatically stay afloat. We are inundated with so many offers and options, scribbled on by statements and opinions, that we no longer know where our heads are. Nothing is impossible and anything goes, I'm not a lion after all - and that's the problem. Sociologist Peter Gross speaks of the multi-option society that pays homage to the gospel of personal development: Ich-AG, selfie, self-determination, personal responsibility, everything revolves around ourselves. We no longer have children when all our feelings are right, but schedule the birth of our offspring when it suits us. And before that, we order the partner of our dreams on the Internet. We even organize our own demise, keyword exit. And yet we are completely without a plan.

The concentrated variety of choices has developed into concentrated disorientation. This also applies to advertising and the media. The adage "Test your mettle before you buy" has become impossible. Who can check out all the options today until something is really good? That's why we do something, as long as it's new, loud and "shary" - because we want everyone to know about it. Higher, faster, further? Maybe we should try smarter, slower, softer.

Anne-Friederike Heinrich, Editor-in-Chief
f.heinrich@werbewoche.ch