Advertising lessons learned and reaffirmed by HBO’s ‘Succession’

As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing world portrayals—but it’s a lot more fun for those of us who are. And watching through the eyes of a current ad guy, there are still a lot of professional lessons to take away from the savage, but often insightful, Roy family and their various hangers-on. In anticipation of the season coming to a close this Sunday, when we bid adieu to our favorite deliciously dysfunctional and unscrupulous family of one-percenters until next year, I bring you my favorite ad-world lessons learned and reaffirmed in the first two seasons of HBO’s latest tentpole show. What's the protein? Roy family patriarch Logan’s go-to phrase, “What’s the protein?” is quickly becoming my internal mantra in all sorts of daily situations. Logan’s a busy guy who shoots from the hip, so he needs a quick phrase that helps get to the meat of the matter at hand—or points out the lack of substance in a given proposition (like his daughter Shiv’s much-mocked family memo). “What’s the protein?” is great shorthand for stripping the BS out of the equation and weighing whether there’s real substance at the core of an idea or it’s just carbohydrate filler. I’ve toyed with “What’s the protein?” becoming my new go-to filter in... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
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Sage buys Learning Matters

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 02/08/2011 - 15:11 Academic and professional publisher Sage has bought Learning Matters, the independent education publisher founded in 1999. The sale, for an undisclosed sum, was announced jointly by Learning Matters founder and managing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith Guarantees Print ROI for Select Advertisers

Meredith Corp.--publisher of titles such as Better Homes & Gardens and Ladies Home Journal--has introduced The Meredith Engagement Dividend, a product that offers advertisers guaranteed sales for their investment in Meredith magazines. Participation requires a 12-month advertising commitment... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Greek chain opens ‘learning hub for the future’

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 14:57 Greek bookstore chain Eleftheroudakis has opened a new flagship store in the heart of Athens, replete with an Espresso Book Machine and trained librarians. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literacy encourages success, says former director of Ofsted

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 08/06/2011 - 09:29 An early engagement with books in the home is a core function of a child's future success, the former director of Ofsted has said. Speaking at a parliamentary reception for the children's literacy charity Volunteer Reading... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Internet Advertising Hits Record $7.3 Billion in First Quarter

Internet advertising in the U.S. totaled $7.3 billion in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011, up 23 percent over the same period in 2010 and set the highest first quarter level ever for the industry, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Partner With Pictela’s IAB Portrait Advertising

After a successful initial partnership with Pictela with the OPA Push Down advertising unit, Hearst has decided to give Pictela’s Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Portrait technology a try. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Media Equation: Now to Sell Advertisers on Tablets

Magazine publishers are making plans to be part of, rather than run over by, the digital revolution. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Advertising: Tales of Reading in Reintroducing a Color Device

Barnes & Noble’s advertising campaign for the Nook Color, an e-reading tablet, features no company stores in the ads, a nod to changes in the publishing industry. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lessons from Powell's Books

Just one week before Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., laid off 31 employees, or 7% of its workforce, a move that followed downsizing the staff through attrition in 2010. While the situation at Powell's is not dire, unlike that of the nation's... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ABC Board Changes Advertising Requirement for Digital Magazines

Recognizing the fluid state of digital magazine publishing, the ABC board of directors has just modified a key requirement for qualifying a "replica" digital edition. Advertising in the print and digital editions no longer needs to be identical. The board's vote at their mid-March meeting was... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Data Shot: Condé Nast Boasts Most Individual Advertisers in 2010

Hearst was the 2010 group publisher's ad-page champ according to FOLIO: sister site minonline, while Condé Nast had the largest number of individual brand advertisers across five major consumer publishers, according to data from MagazineRadar. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Daily's $30 Million Launch: Archetype for Tablet Success or the Next Portfolio?

Apple kept mum on its highly anticipated digital subscription plan during a press conference today at the Guggenheim in New York City announcing News Corp.'s new tablet publication The Daily (which is available in the App Store as of noon Eastern), but News Corp. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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