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 ]
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Facebook Is Giving Advertisers More Control Over Where Their Ads Appear

Brands advertising on Facebook will soon have more control over where their ads appear. The social network is rolling out several tools aimed at providing more transparency before campaigns go live. The latest additions, announced today, will provide advertisers with a list of publishers up... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Advertisers should follow Vodafone's lead after Facebook and Google failures | Nils Pratley

Telecoms giant is right to stop relying on social media titans to stop its adverts appearing next to inappropriate contentAbout time too: a major advertiser has become so frustrated with Facebook and Google’s limp attempts to police the content they publish that it has taken matters into its own... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Updated BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy reveals targeted social advertising, and data sharing with TV Licensing

Just a few days ago, the BBC revealed that it was planning to introduce password checks for iPlayer users so it could ensure that a valid TV license is in place. Following on from this, the corporation has updated its Privacy and Cookies Policy. The changes mean that personal information is... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What Advertisers Want From Snapchat's First Earnings Report

It would be understandable if Snap Inc. is feeling a little jittery as it closes the book on its first quarter as a public company today. The owner of the Snapchat messaging and media app has to show strong ad sales and a growing user base when it makes its report after the close of business.... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Axel Springer pushes for transparency in its programmatic advertising

The German publisher plans to capitalize on advertisers' brand safety by emphasizing its trust, traffic and technology. The post Axel Springer pushes for transparency in its programmatic advertising appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teaching Writing At the Writers Studio

The non-MFA writing school, run by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Philip Schultz, turns 30 this year, and marks the milestone with a new anthology. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Shows Advertisers How Hip It Is With Musical.ly Deal

Hearst is now hopping onto the hot, youth-focused Musical.ly, with the first official ad partnership on the mobile singing app.Hearst announced the partnership at its NewFronts, where it unveiled its digital roadmap for the year ahead to a crowd of ad buyers and business press.Seventeen magazine... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lotinga urges government to support success as PA stats reveal record 2016

The industry’s earnings hit a new high in 2016, according to the PA Publishing Yearbook 2016.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahmed Al Ameri: ‘Teach Them When They’re Young’ at Sharjah Reading Festival

As suggested by the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival’s slogan, ‘Discover a Lifelong Friend,’ Ahmed Al Ameri sees early-age immersion as crucial. By Dennis Abrams | @DennisAbrams2 ‘The Reading Habit Is Increasing’ he United Arab Emirates’ Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri is chairman of Sharjah Book... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Times of London sees success in an editions approach to digital publishing

"General news is a commodity and hard to charge for as it’s free everywhere. We’re focusing on what’s truly distinctive." The post The Times of London sees success in an editions approach to digital publishing appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Over-indexing on brand safety’: Trump is a boon for traffic, but advertisers remain wary

Advertisers remain skittish around political news even as news publishers are seeing big traffic numbers around President Donald Trump. The post ‘Over-indexing on brand safety’: Trump is a boon for traffic, but advertisers remain wary appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HBO drama series for Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend

The first novel in Elena Ferrante's four part series, My Brilliant Friend, is to be adapted into an eight-episode Italian drama series for HBO and Italian state broadcaster Rai. Production is set to begin this summer. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SpaceX successfully relaunched a Falcon 9 rocket

Today's SpaceX launch will be logged in the history books as the first time a flight-proven orbital class rocket has successfully been relaunched and returned to Earth. "We just had an incredible day today," CEO Elon Musk said after the first stage F... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Elena Ferrante's juggernaut 'My Brilliant Friend' heading to HBO

Elena Ferrante’s bestselling book “My Brilliant Friend” is headed to the small screen, courtesy of HBO and RAI, Italy’s national public broadcasting company. Set in Naples, “My Brilliant Friend” centers on Elena Greco, as she recalls her lifelong relationship with dear friend — and dear enemy —... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA president de la Hey on the secrets of Mainstreet’s success

Rosamund de la Hey talks to Lisa Campbell about her journey into bookselling and her plans as president of the Booksellers Association. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rejoice in Logan’s Success. It Means Grittier Comic Book Movies Are Coming

Comic book movies now have another "hard-R" hit. And it won't be the last. The post Rejoice in Logan’s Success. It Means Grittier Comic Book Movies Are Coming appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2017-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six Broader Questions in Light of P&G's Digital Advertising Ultimatum

When the chief brand officer from the largest advertiser in the world announces that they don't "want to waste time and money on a crappy media supply chain," even those of us just outside digital media in packaging may feel a little twinge of dread in our stomachs.If you missed it a few weeks... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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4 Secrets to Social Video Success

The power of social video marketing is increasingly touted as the fastest way for brands to build engagement with customers and prospects. In a recent survey, 80 percent of content marketers said videos published on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have directly impacted their business. This... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HBO's Whisper Ad Campaign Asks People to Confess 'Big Little Lies'

HBO wants the internet to give up its lies.To do so, it's working with Whisper on a piece of the marketing for the new show "Big Little Lies" in an effort to generate conversation around the program. Whisper, launched as an anonymous app, gained some popularity in 2014 when the internet started... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ABA shares secrets of indies’ success

Anja Sieg reports from the American Booksellers Association's (ABA) 12th Winter Institute, which drew a record crowd of 654 booksellers.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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