Writers Guild Strike = Recession.

So this a bit far fetched, but then again, so is most of my thinking. However, I was thinking about the correlation between the writer's guild strike and the recent "economic slowdown". While I'm not stupid enough to think that the two are directly related, I do wonder if the strike fanned the flames a bit.

Think about it. One of the factors that contributed to recent economic events was the cutting back of spending in the retail sector. This happened to take place during and after the strike. What happened during the strike - people stopped watching tv more - they stopped seeing as many ads.

My father, an ad exec, often talks about "reach and frequency" when we talk shop. Basically, how far does an ad get, and how often do people see it. So based on declining reach and frequency during the strike, brands began to suffer. People wanted less.

Now this is a remarkable concept in one key area. It means that marketing is sophisticated enough to actually drive an economy. Until recently, marketing has always been about making people spend their money with one company over another. However, now marketing is sophisticated enough to actually drive people into debt, to purchase things they wouldn't purchase otherwise. Shocking.

So here's to the ad industry. You are some smart bastards. However, It's good to know when you're turned off and people think for themselves they make good decisions.