Linear: the latest bullshit buzzword we need to stop saying already
It’s time for brands and companies to let go and embrace the free-fall says David Hovenden.
I love being a journalist. Over more than 20 years I’ve had the privilege of covering a bewildering array of rounds. The basic premise, however, has always been the same: find something interesting, learn about it, then write something about it.
Over the years I found myself in management positions and therefore grown an understanding of the business of journalism. But I’ve always held on to that primary role of having my interest piqued and then sharing what I discovered with an audience. For many years when I was caught up with managing too many magazines drowning in Excel spread sheets and honing my PowerPoint skills, writing an article was viewed upon as a personal indulgence and I rarely got to it.
These days, however, looking after one little old title, I have the time to write pretty much every day. And I don’t view it as an indulgence anymore, but an absolute necessity. Only from delving into the issues faced by marketing, media and advertising people first hand as a reporter does, do I even remotely feel prepared to manage a business that aims to serve these same people.
Perhaps this is the biggest change that’s occurred in the past 20 years. No longer can you rely on things staying the same so much so that you can simply busy yourself with spreadsheets and presentations to board members.
This change is of course reflective of the broader business environment. I just saw a car with the number plate DATA4U for Christ’s sake!
The thing that many organisations are struggling with at the moment is that you have to let go. The age of the control freak is over. Brands are dealing with this change in varying degrees. You’ve read as many things as me I’m sure about ‘linear’ broadcasting, ‘linear’ advertising, ‘linear’ positioning of brands and ‘linear’ brand values and ‘linear’ etcetera and so on. It means one-way communication.
Has ‘linear’ suddenly become de rigueur because we became bored with saying ‘digital’ marketing? Or because the cool kids at Google started telling us to stop talking about digital marketing and to start talking about marketing in a digital world and we’re just quick learners?
The fact is we have leapt off a cliff and there’s no going back. Everybody has a breathtakingly amazing ability to access and share information. Linear is a neat way to describe everything that took place before we jumped, because we’re not sure if that’s really pre-digital or pre-social or pre-mobile.
Massive companies can now be brought to their knees by a social media misstep. My favourite example is this Twitter fail by the New York Police department’s attempt to use social media to show how friendly the cops in the Big Apple really are. The crowd had different take on it.
For a police department, police brutality isn’t great brand image, but it’s sort of appropriate and in the long run probably helps the police keep law and order. Fear is a powerful motivator after all. So it’s sort of a brand they deserve.
But what about other brands? I attended Lithium’s LiNC conference in San Francisco a month or so ago and its CEO Rob Tarkoff described the era we are currently in as the time of extreme customer expectations. I tend to think he’s right. We’ve become so conditioned for things to just work that when they don’t we want to know why. And we can share our disappointment straight away. It has to be quite terrifying for brand managers the world over.
Adobe recently opened its logo up to be pimped. Google changes its logo every day and any number of other companies are pretty loose with their styling, embracing the fact that they can no longer have a ‘linear’ positioning of their brand.
The brand you have, is the brand you earn. Act like a bucket full of arseholes and chances are someone will start a Facebook page about that very fact. Do something nice and you may well end up on one of the most powerful media platforms in the world: Buzzfeed. After all, as Jonah Peretti explained it last month in San Francisco to me, there’s no over estimating the size of the Bored at Work (BAW) and more recently Bored in Line (BIL) audiences.
Ironically, one of the companies most responsible for turning the world on its head is one the most protective of its brand and its positioning. Apple could be described as secretive at best and paranoid at worst when it comes to opening up its brand.
One of the good things about having been around the traps for more than 20 years is that I’ve seen Apple make this mistake before. In 1997, Bill Gates poured $150 million into Apple ostensibly to keep the company afloat. He said at the time he thought it was important for there to be more than just a Windows desktop offering. As a complete aside, the news sent Apple’s share price up $7 to $26.75 a share. Its share price broke $1000 per share, before the shares were split.
There are reams of copy written on why Apple nearly didn’t make it in the 90s and it makes for insightful reading. The basic problem, however, in a grossly over simplified sentence, was that the difference between a Mac and a PC became so negligible that it simply didn’t sell enough boxes. When you think about Android and now Chromecast, Apple is looking a little short on a cutting edge product. Bring on the iWatch says Tim Cook. October anyone?
Of course, Apple is the most valuable company in the world and employs an army of super smart people so chances are they will work it out. But Apple’s closed business model, it would argue model of market leadership, means that its competing on its own against the other giant success story of the past decade, Google, who has lined up with the likes of Samsung and Sony, Apple‘s old sparring partner Microsoft and a host of other players. They make a formidable team.
It’s an interesting contrast: companies that think they know best and those prepared to ask the market what they want and then build it for them. And involve them in every step of the way.
Henry Ford famously said: If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. But we live in a time where the world has far better access to information. Companies are also able to have much more meaningful relationships with individuals who know what they want.
I can’t wait to report on what the next decade has to bring.
Latest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.