I'll tell you, Marc. As a former student of architecture and more than 13 years in balls-to-the-wall advertising, I strongly believe I’ve built a system that ENABLED clients to take control of their localized advertising and FREED agencies to focus on better creative. There are really two Pick-n-Clicks. The first is a library of prefrabricated creative content, built for auto dealers by an agency with over 15 years of automotive experience, which can be customized (by the user) in all major media types. The second is a brand control tool – or content manager and media builder. You described it as an asset management system, but it's much more. Clients (ex: Best Buy) can have their agencies produce quarterly creative campaigns (with an eye for modularity) and maintain absolute brand consistency from Tier 1 to Tier 3. Know what a Motorola ad looks like? Or a Dell ad? Imagine the agency producing the creative, but the client (ex: regional marketing directors) choosing from a menu of specific product/service offers and a host of locations in our system? Does that really kill the human-touch, or does it simply enable for smarter executions and faster delivery to the marketplace? I think that any creative that chooses to see beyond the immediate execution, and adopts a more global perspective of the potential varieties of executions can determine their own modular templates, and allow for a host of users to make pre-determined selections leading to a customized ad. Why would talented creatives want to be burdened with versioning?

Milan, I'm not sold yet. What's in it for me and why? What is new, improved, different, unique, and better about it? Sell-me-why?

Great. Thanks for the openness. If you could also please update your profile I think you'll find that everyone here is up for a lively dialogue when they know who you're talking with. Part of the problem is your predecessors have not done such a great job with this type of thing, and without any of us having access to see for ourselves, it's a little hard to judge. It sounds like it's almost more of an asset management system. Would that be a more correct way to describe it?

For the sake of engaging discussion, I'll accept your invitation for openness. My name is Milan De Vito, and as the Managing Director of Creative Services at Zimmerman Advertising, and the Chief Architect of the Pick-n-Click system, I've spent the last two-and-a-half years of my blood, sweat and tears putting this system together. In truth, I've shared the sentiments that many creatives have expressed since the launch of our system. But with my creative and technical background, building a system of this kind was a natural consequence. Trust me, it isn't cookie-cutter in the slightest.

Hi "creative director." I find it curious that you've both decided to hide behind a pseudonym instead of revealing your true identity like the rest of us have the nerve to do, and that your username is "picknclick" leading me to believe your sole purpose in joining the site was to act as a schill on their behalf. So out with it. Who are you?

Guys, who do you think put this together? A web developer? An account executive? I find the arguments about dumbed down creative entertaining – but the system was designed by a creative director and a team of developers. And from what I understand, the CD had the same concerns as everyone else... so he designed the system with the flexibility to manage and enable modular big-agency creative.

So much for as Michael so insightfully put it, " The latest greatest next big thing, that won't work" hmmmmmmmmmm

N-... it's out of beta too. No longer giving free demonstrations. This application uses algorithms to create layouts from current design trends and automates the design process without the need for a designer.

Hmm.I'm not going to disagree with anyone's specific points but I will ad this, It cheats clients of an effective and original design, while cheating the designers themselves of their own talents. It reduces the market value of design and it's integrity as a legitmate professional practice. The issue is the ( I know dealers can suck ) dealerships/clients. Not the ability of an agency. It does nothing to educating the client. And really, it's no different then placing a Yellow Pages ad. Which are laid out by yellow pages themselves. I have not seen any of thegenerated ads, but there is a web-based app that has been around for years that generates abstract graphic design work with some copy. Flyer type stuff ( can't find the url ). And, this is no differnt then what Josh Davis tried to do with BMW and Flash. In the end though, my true concern lies with the value of design. The invention is cool. The reasoning is laziness.

I agree entirely with Arthur, and to add, I would say this may not exactly oust the great creative boutiques of large or be used by the big brands, but it might change how smaller shops do things with their small local clients. Like the article suggest, if this program is implemented, the shop then has more time for concepting messages and placement. Besides, for some of the small shops around my area, it wont make much difference in quality of work if the robot is hired in since most of them are cookie cutter anyway.

The latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the latest greatest next big thing, that won't work, then gets replaced by the........

Thank you for this post! Just what we all need P&C ads that are all built from the same machine! Creative talent with a wizards touvh with ColdFusion bl;ending PhotoShop magic and Flash9 accumen will never bereplaced by cookie cutter ad machine imho. The target is well slected-auto dealers on the cheap. This could never be a threat to creative boutiques...you never actively seek out the cheap skaters, do you? Used car lots may drool over this shake and bake solution but Big Brands will demand cutting edge --- now and forever.