make|SHIFT Documentary

About make|SHIFT

From the heyday of TV advertising to the dawn of the Internet to the rise of the digital experience, make|SHIFT explores the art and science behind the advertising industry’s 20+ year evolution.

The documentary, make|SHIFT, is a story about the agencies and makers behind some of the world’s most successful brands. The interviews include a wide range range of leaders and pioneers who helped advertising evolve from the “Mad Men” era of one-to-many advertising to an age of targeted micro-campaigns that are created in hours and where technology and social media have democratized the industry by giving consumers the power to determine how, when and where they connect with a brand.
The film shows how creative technologies drove a shift from pushing messages through TV, radio, print and outdoor ads to delivering increasingly engaging, immersive and valuable digital experiences to consumers. While some advertisers struggled to evolve, a brave new generation grasped the possibilities—both creative and strategic—and harnessed these fast-changing technologies to enhance their creativity, test new business models, and engage with consumers both at a scale never before possible and more intimately than ever before.

The film is particularly resonant today, as the advertising industry again finds itself in a period of evolution, adaptation and, ultimately, rebirth. As advertisers harness technology to find new ways of getting their message in front of audiences, the film’s portrayal of the scrappy determination that led agencies to revolutionary successes five, 10 and 20+ years ago is more important than ever before.