What HBO’s ‘Succession’ can teach us about advertising

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 ]

Other news stories related to: " What HBO’s ‘Succession’ can teach us about advertising "


The Top 10 Library Stories of 2024

PW looks back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year, and what they portend for 2025. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Will a power shift at the top of the Murdoch family empire reshape News Corp – and Australian politics? | Anne Davies

The Nevada court defeat means Lachlan Murdoch’s siblings could have a much greater say in the company’s future - with significant ramifications As the Black Summer bushfires ravaged Australia, coverage of the disaster in the News Corp publications sparked a rare public airing of the divisions... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-12-13 14:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Greens to call Murdoch executives before Senate inquiry into greenwashing

Gas-industry sponsored series of stories presented as news on front page of News Corp newspapersHow can News Corp call its gas splash an ‘exclusive’ and a ‘special report’ when it’s paid for by industry? | CommentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-12-04 05:37:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How can News Corp call its gas splash an ‘exclusive’ and a ‘special report’ when it’s paid for by industry? | Adam Morton

Readers are led to believe a short-on-facts advertorial exhorting government to let companies extract more gas is straight news coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe big news on Monday morning was that the story splashed across the front of News Corp’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-12-02 14:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How AI is accelerating—and devaluing—book publishing

Artificial intelligence is pushing the publishing world toward volume. That could drown out the good work. AI has the power to pump out words in record speed. And already, that’s substantially inflating the book publishing market.  Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-12-02 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Murdoch family retains majority control of News Corp after shareholder vote

Activist investor Starboard Value had challenged ownership structure, as Murdoch family controls 41% of company votesLachlan Murdoch faced down a shareholder vote on Wednesday aimed at weakening the Murdoch family’s control over their media empire.The activist investor Starboard Value had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-20 18:57:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Andrew Bolt gloats as News Corp columnists delight in Donald Trump’s victory | Weekly Beast

‘Good riddance to woke,’ Peta Credlin says, while Tim Blair urges country to ‘Drill, Australia. Drill’Andrew Bolt admits to gloating but says he is “gloating for a good cause”.“We have to shame the lies and the hysterics who came far too close to getting the empty head of Kamala Harris elected... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-08 01:22:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Horsing around: King Charles’ visit gets hearts racing at News Corp but SMH falls short of royal treatment | The Weekly Beast

Daily Telegraph talks up chances Charles will attend the Everest. Plus: ABC splashes cash on redesignFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWith King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving on Friday for the couple’s first... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-18 01:06:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


News Corp says misinformation bill might restrict its news sites because of comment sections

Contentious proposed bill would exclude professional news content, but News Corp worried that it would be considered a media serviceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNews Corp has raised concerns the federal... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-17 06:17:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sky News’ Sharri Markson tells Benjamin Netanyahu Labor is ‘hostile’ to Israel in ‘confidential’ meeting | The Weekly Beast

Markson says sit-down with Israel’s PM like meeting ‘Winston Churchill during his fight against the Nazis’. Plus: News Corp reprints cartoon found to be offensiveFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSharri Markson spent... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-11 00:31:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Black British Book festival founder criticises lack of diversity in publishing

Increasing number of black authors forced to self-publish or promote work on social media, says Selina BrownThe founder of a book festival celebrating black authors has said they are “forced” to pave their own way into the publishing world because of a lack of diversity within the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-02 16:06:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Murdoch-backed REA abandons attempt to take over Rightmove

Decision comes after UK real estate portal turned down fourth offer from Australian property companyBusiness live – latest updatesThe Rupert Murdoch-backed real estate company REA Group has abandoned its attempt to take over the website Rightmove after its fourth offer was rebuffed on Monday.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-30 12:05:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The secret Succession battle for the Murdoch empire - podcast

Behind closed doors in a courtroom in Reno, Nevada, a high-stakes family business dispute has been unfolding. Rupert Murdoch is trying to change the terms of a longstanding family trust to give his favoured eldest son, Lachlan, full control of his media empire after his death.Associate professor... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-23 15:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘Office Politics,’ by Wilfrid Sheed

A 1966 novel captures a publishing world full of chronic malcontents, strategic lunches and ideas that mattered. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-09-11 09:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A New Asian American Boom: A Reading List of the Cambodian American Experience

I feel a cultural shift in the way the publishing world is accepting Cambodian American stories. In 2021, Ecco Press posthumously published the groundbreaking story collection, Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So, opening new doors for Khmer American writers. The next year the University of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-26 08:55:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This startup wants to be the iTunes of AI content licensing

TollBit The 28-year-old founders of TollBit, a New York-based startup that is all of six months old, think we’re living in the “Napster days” of AI. Just like people of a certain generation downloaded digital music, companies are ripping off vast swaths of the internet without paying the rights... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-08-23 16:29:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Engadget Podcast: Pixel 9 reviews and Gamescom 2024

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Engadget's reviews on Google's Pixel 9 and 9 Pro phones. Are they really a step up from last year's devices? And how do they compare to Samsung's latest? Also, we chat about a few stories from Gamescom 2024, including Microsoft's Indiana Jones game... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-08-23 11:30:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New chair Kim Williams says ABC should be ‘last broadcaster standing’ and News Corp’s criticism is ‘unbalanced’

Exclusive: Former News Corp CEO says Murdoch company’s obsession with the public broadcaster is ‘fairly unhinged’ and should largely be ignoredFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastKim Williams, the current... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-08-10 20:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


My weeks of reading hornily: steamy book sales have doubled – and I soon found out why

From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is:... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this