In his “manifesto on the future of advertising,” published in the December Esquire, ad man David Droga sounds more like a PR guy in urging adland to hone its story-telling skills.

drogaThe chief of creative shop Droga5 faults advertising for being “more about interruption and intrusion than compelling narratives.” He wrote: “No industry works harder at being lazy.”

Of the impending Publicom mega-merger, Droga says it’s more about efficiency than creativity. Unless the merger partners spend money to re-invent the business, they will “continue trafficking in dead-end, middle-of-the-road output.” Droga bets creative shops filled with “daydreamers” will reap the benefits of the jumbo merger.

Forget Publicis/Omnicom, the rise of mobile poses the biggest threat/reward for communicators. Droga pans mobile ads as “downright awful 99.9 percent of the time.” The brand that can tell and build stories and target people in a “non-creepy and relevant way” will win the mobile prize.

Droga’s mobile mantra “it’s the individual that matters, not the algorithm.”

The PR business could use thinkers and spokespeople like Droga. Where’s the “manifesto on PR’s next act?”