Cartografia das lógicas de plataformização do trabalho publicitário

Abstract

Motivated by the curiosity to comprehend the phenomenon of platformization and how this process permeates work in advertising, we pose the question: What logics of platformization in current advertising work update advertising practices and professional habitus? Our initial assumption is to scrutinize the advertising field, especially considering the movements of advertising companies as publishers, and also to observe how the habitus of advertising professionals is constituted with the advent of technologies and remote work. Following the rhizomatic inspirations of the cartographic method (Deleuze; Guattari, 1995), our aim is to map the logics of platformization in advertising work, based on the tensions that occur in the practices and habitus of professionals in the advertising field. Thus, supported by a metaphor about the universe, we outline the initial map of the research, in accordance with an overview of the field and aided by literature review, state-of-the-art analysis, and documentary research, including reports from specialized field publications. Equipped with this broader perspective, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with three professionals holding leadership positions in advertising companies focused on digital services and content production, constituting the corpus of our research. For data analysis and cross-referencing, we interpret the three dimensions of platformization proposed by Thomas Poell, David Nieborg, and José Van Dijck (2019): Data Infrastructure, Multilateral Markets, and Governance. Thus, our theoretical-methodological framework is divided into three moments: firstly, we conceptualize the advertising field through a dialogue between Bourdieu (1985) and Petermann (2017); secondly, we conceptualize the advertising habitus and identify updates that have already occurred and are shaping its surroundings, delving into platformization, clarifying this process, its dimensions, and juxtaposing it with advertising work; and thirdly, we address advertising work, understanding its history and evolutions in Brazil. In the second moment, we present our three categories of analysis that encompass the three dimensions of platformization, aiming to correlate them with advertising activity, reorganizations in advertising practices and professional habitus, and new institutional roles resulting from platformization. Finally, we discuss platformized advertising work, based on the tension with the analyzed categories, drawing a new map that presents new plateaus, escape lines, and discovered segmentations resulting in movements and redefinitions in advertising work and professional habitus. The research findings indicate 12 logics of platformized advertising work, considering that redefinitions in advertising practices are fueled by platformization through the extensive use of digital platforms as technological tools integrated into professional practice, leading to updates in professional habitus. This is characterized by two divergent movements: an openness that accepts trends and new institutionalizations in the field and work, and a closure whose thoughts and actions focus on a consideration of new work configurations based on platformization logics.