Time for a little less conversation. If you could ChangeOneThing about media what would it be?
In this guest post PHD’s Chris Stephenson invites the media industry to participate in the ChangeOneThing Mumbrella360 session.
It has been over nine months since as an industry we debated and created a Manifesto for change at the first Mumbrella360.
Together we wrote and agreed on 34 articles of belief; from the elegant (‘We believe measurement should move from opportunity to see to opportunity to influence’) to the cathartic (‘We believe that no one enjoys pitches’).
In the last nine months we’ve been asked on more than a few occasions whatever happened to the Manifesto?
I would like to change the casual lack of warmth and support that increasingly characterises the industry.
I think people have just grown used to: not replying to emails, not giving/getting proper feedback, not treating their staff with the warmth everyone deserves, not respecting people’s time and what’s really important in life.
Everyone is out pitching, everyone is busy, everyone has back-to-back meetings, everyone has to hustle. Yet this is no excuse.
In such a small industry, those who remember to take the few minutes to speak to, encourage, and interact with anyone who asks of their time, stand head and shoulders apart.
As an industry, ours is being eclipsed left, right and centre when it comes to the career-decisions top graduates make – the unforgiving nature of it is part of the problem I think.
s**t pay for a start
I’d like less media, so I can spend less time looking at extra media. Oh wait, I can do that by ignoring most of it (and I’m not just talking online media). I regularly throw out most newspaper inserts. Last Sunday there were 11, and the (news)paper made 12. No, I just don’t have the time. Life awaits. The trick is to focus on what is important/interests you. The problem is finding it.
I would like to change your lack of attendance at Ad Nerds Gone Wild, home boy.
“Run and tell ‘dat, run and tell ‘dat”
You better be there, or I’m gonna **** your shit up….
Less text . . more pictures and diagrams.
I’d like to see agencies admit it when there is something they are not good at and refer people to a non-affiliated expert rather than saying they have the expertise and delivering poor (and over-priced) outcomes.
Generosity and paying it forward builds reputation. You may not get my work today, but if I have a good outcome from the suggestion I will come back to you.
I agree with @craig, stop phoning in expensive crap
That each media types trend are reported impartially. Digital tends to be reported on global scales sometimes to exagerate impact. Ipads sold 3 million worlwide. Yes impressive in short period of time but we do have a few billion people. They are becoming more common, but on an average train journey there might be 2 out of 60 with an ipad, 1 with a kindle, less reading newspapers but MX outstrips anything. Few rudely listening to music
Re comment one ; agree
i’d be good to see some demonstrated actions to try and deliver on this manifesto – https://staging.mumbrella.com.au/mumbrella-360-manifesto-48697
Beliefs are sort of worthless unless they are practiced. As someone in the industry I don’t think most of the above manifesto is even remembered let alone practiced.
I’d like to see less no talent knobs in the boardroom masquerading as chief creative officers
I’d like to see more educated people in management using intellect to advance business instead of boys and girls whose parentage or political skills enable them to climb over the bodies of the people who really make the difference.
@Groucho – Agree!
I’d like to see people in media less arrogant and to simply take their heads out of their arses! We aren’t curing disease/world famine…your ad ran out of position by 1 page…and so?…..We need to remind ourselved this and that this is a fun industry to be in and that we are lucky to be involved in the work we are, not to mention the free lunches/ tickets to this, trip to there etc etc….Common deceny and polite manners cost nothing!
Well, if all the afore doesn’t tell you that very little has changed I don’t know what will.
Of course the world is changing, of course there are new ideas, new avenues and different ways of achieving old ends, but this isn’t new in its self. Change is change and that is all it is, nobody can say that it is for the better or that it will be long lived.
Radio and television killed variety theatre, Films killed the legitimate theatre, printers rule went west with Linotype and then it all went west with the digital age. We still drink tea and coffee in a cup, we still fall in love and get married, we still love our kids and look forward to a better world. Let’s worry more about people skills about working together as a family of happy talented people.
Oops, it looks like I’m saying much the same things.