I had a chance last night to watch a DVR'd episode of Trust Me, the new TNT show about this business.

Being a former Burnetter myself i have to admit i was curious.  That curiosity was heightened by my friend Steffan Postaer who recently blogged about the show at http://godsofadvertising.wordpress.com/, and the mere fact that it is set in Chicago.  As Steff said, we've all had too much vodka and calamari at Mia Francesca!

The first time i heard about this show i had a visceral negative reaction just based on the title - Trust Me.  These two simple words are at the center of what is failing this business because often times people on our side of the table should not be trusted.  They don't have enough experience.  They don't get the business.  They have not yet done anything to either deliver results or build the relationship that deserves to be trusted. 

Don't get me wrong, business in general is a tightrope walk between rigorous analytics and a leap of faith, and advertising is no different.  But i'd personally like to see this industry restore its credibility by serving up a few courses of "proof" before looking for the nightcap of "trust."  It's a basic we've gotten away from.

Bewitched, Bosom Buddies, thirtysomething, Melrose Place, Mad Men, Trust Me...seriously?  I get why Hollywood would be fascinated by the setting of an ad agency for a TV show -- on its worst day, advertising is full of gorgeous neurotic people in rooms with brick walls.  The creative mind brings out the worst insecurities in all of us.

But on its best day, advertising, and the people in it, perform miracles.  It's populated with some of the most brilliant strategic minds in all of business.  It creates completely new products for companies.  It connects and moves people to change their hearts and minds.  It drives market share growth.  It taps the power of the human mind to create original ideas...over and over again, under the pressure of faster and cheaper.  It makes its clients look good by getting things done that nobody thought was possible.  It's grounded in human insight and supported by data and analytics.  It is creation.

Making advertising is a hard messy process and rarely looks like Denise Reyner caressing Dove bottles and giving seductive career advise.  Where are the episodes that show the agency pulling 3 straight all nighters to get a project done because the decision makers keep changing their mind.  Or the one about chief marketing officers losing their jobs ever 28 months?  Or the one about a client habitually paying their bills late and still expecting the moon?

I regret shows like Trust Me find ways to get made, and I dread when people ask me if that's what it's really like.  But I, like so many people in this business, thrive in the challenge of the unknown and take deep personal pride in knowing we have made a difference for our clients. 

Sorry if that makes bad TV.