The Raven | 30 January 2019 Marketing, Media & Tech round-up
curated by @mattketing
The Raven delivers 10 talking points across #media, #tech and #marketing.
“I am not dead, the raven said.
I shall be king again.” — The Ballad of Sancho Panza
It’s the first Raven of Series Two — and as it’s 2019, the Raven has new feathers and 10 of the choicest talking points to stick its talons into.
What’s sparkled in the roost and sparked interest this Raven? Gillette’s close shave hits the Ad Beak, no Slacking when it comes to rebranding, Netflix change their number policy, the BBC struggle with ‘Appiness, Radio waves regenerate and I hold Christmas to account once again.
Naturally, this week’s song comes courtesy of The Specials own comeback, their first proper single for 37 years… Vote for Me. Follow the Raven Playlist.
Gillette, The Best a Man Can Be
How could it not be the most talked about advert of the year so far? Gillette’s controversial inversion of its famous, 30-year-old tagline, with the campaign and three-year donation strategy still provoking reaction.The rough sentiment right now? Publicity boost (The ad has been watched more than 2 million times on YouTube in 48 hours), but also some brand damage.
It certainly hasn’t triggered a sales uplift, rather backed a plateau. Jon Moeller, CFO of the Procter & Gamble group told the press it was intended to “connect more meaningfully with younger consumer groups” which is just as well when sales remain “in line with pre-campaign levels”.
There’s no doubt about the thought that went into it, down to the heavy brook-no-parody direction from Kim Gehrig (appointed through the brand’s affiliation with https://www.freethebid.com/). It’s hard to see how they could now turn back on the campaign without undermining it. But a side-effect of the coverage has been discovering far more about the brand’s fascinating history.
1. Media and journalism: Buzzfeed eats itself
Confusion and shock as Buzzfeed is stripped down. Thoughts going out to all their creatives, but there’s always time for some savage brilliance. This is cutting from former Buzzfeed writer Jason Sweeten.
2. Media: What’s your side-hustle?
More Millennial stats — Over a third of 25 to 34-year-olds have a sideline of some kind.
3. Advertising & Marketing: Slack rebrands honestly
Not every communication company can communicate this clearly — a brilliant insight into a start-up’s evolving brand thoughts.
4. Tech: GDPR catches Google
A major, If predictable early scalp, as the fines hit.
5. Media: Netflix warms up to numbers
As UK cinema celebrated a record year,Netflix went big on numbers and fired a cooking a snook shot over HBO’s head (uncoincidentally, as the latter brought out its strong 2019 slate trailer).
Something grates about Netflix’s policy shift, in the face of strong numbers — perhaps a sign of the challenges to come as their pileup of cancellations in late 2018 set the stall for a new relationship with Disney Marvel. At least some data can make us feel good about ourselves (thanks to Netflix’s second Christmas success).
6: Tech: Accenture take on the internet
A bold approach, as the old guard sense some new-tech blood in the water..
7. Media and Journalism: Radio waves as the schedules radically shift
Bauer Media launches, as Radio 2 takes time to consolidate. Few things signal the passing of time like radio changes, and BBC radio is throwing up more than a few after a tumultuous few years. Virgin’s acquisition of Chris Evans and co, covering adverts by turning the whole show into a Sky advert is fascinating. But the station to watch may be Scala, Bauer’s targeted attack on the UK’s fastest growing radio genre (10% yoy).
8. The Musk Zone: It’s been a long year
The Musk zone we left was mostly full of innovation and aspiration, with Elon Musk sitting pretty, aiming cars into space. It’s been a long break, from tunnelling through America and barging into rescue missions to social media angst, production collapses, over sharing of share options, and trips to the court. Looks like it’s all going a bit wrong for one of the Musk staples:
And the backlash stories grow:
Just so you know:
9. What’s going on? BBC Sounds
The reported £10m budget the BBC funnelled into its new app was always going to set the naysayers griping. Who would have thought that the Corporation that led the march of streaming catch-up could get caught out chasing youth with a podcast-led app that can’t help but sound ready-made archaic? Yes, iPlayer Radio was an unwieldy and an awkward brand next to the sublime, original iPlayer that had miserable traction with millennials, but it worked. Sounds is feature-lite, ugg-riddled, and obviously pushed too soon. After their previous triumphs in the space, it’s a darn shame the presenters duty-bound to push it in almost every link have turned. Quick fixes, please!
10: On my side: The 2018 Candy Wrap
Christmas may feel like last year because… It is. But with a mere 11 months to go (sorry, do keep reading). It’s the last chance to plug the annual Candy Wrap — my round-up of the good, bad and ugly Christmas adverts of 2018!
That’s it for this Raven — see you next week, with a Superbowl special! And remember to keep up-to-date in the meantime, and join the conversation @mattketing
Resources: http://www.mattketing.co.uk/
