Commentary

What Psssst You Off In 2019

Here I sit, on the last day of the year, the industry still on its one-to-two week year-end hiatus, wondering what to fill this column with.

Then, like a bolt from the blue, it struck me. Why not a review of the most-read Mediapsssst columns of the year? Brilliant, right? Honestly I don’t know how I do it sometimes.

The most read Mediapsssst column this year was a report on WPP, burying the hatchet with its longtime-and-then-ousted CEO Martin Sorrell and acquiring his company S4 Capital. Yes, apparently you like a good April Fools pull of the leg as much as I do.

Omnicom captured the next two slots with stories about corporate restructurings, including a piece reporting the company was integrating its specialist agencies Accuen and Resolution Media into its three main media agency brands: OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science. CEO John Wren disclosed the news to analysts back in April, but he wasn’t kidding.

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A story about OMD “flattening” its organization with the elimination of regional presidential posts and other positions was third-most-read.

A clever bit of political ad campaign news was the fourth-most-popular item this year, thanks to Toronto agency Public Inc. which mixed a little levity with the serious subject of Trump’s racism. It’s nice to be able to laugh a little amid all the horror that began two years, 345 days, one hour, 22 minutes and some seconds ago, but who’s counting? (Among others, the folks behind this real-time site are.)

An in-depth report on the state of the media landscape by GroupM president of business intelligence Brian Wieser and former North American CEO Rob Norman rounded out the top-five, most-read Psssst pieces of the year. They titled the report “The Great Disruption,” and having covered the media business for a while now, I wonder if there will ever be a time when it isn’t being disrupted by some event, technology or other phenomenon.

I sure hope not; that wouldn’t be any fun.

Happy New Year to you all. Here’s hoping for lots of exciting disruption in 2020.

 

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