Rei Inamoto’s Post

Interesting article by Rei Inamoto San, who I admire the most in the advertising industry. Worth checking it out!

You don’t need applause and validation. You need discipline and time. Many quit creating content because they’re not getting the kind of engagement that makes it feel ‘worth it’. But IMO, the difference between being an influencer and being influential is this: ▪️ The influencer does it for likes ▪️ The influential do it to share their ideas If the goal of having a personal brand is to establish your thought-leadership, then - don’t you want to share your ideas regardless of how many likes it gets? Everyone starts from zero. And it takes time to build. I asked my beta client today, “why is it a priority to build your personal brand now?” For context, she has FTE and owns a marketing agency. She said…in short: Although she doesn’t need to bring in business right now, she wants to invest in the long-term organic growth of her brand (music to my ears 🥰). She wants the stability a personal brand would provide. It doesn’t matter what happens in the FTE world or Consulting, her brand would ensure that she’s competitive in both spaces. And she’d be good in case one or the other took a dive. She also wants to have clarity in her brand identity and offer so that she can show up confidently and consistently. So, she is starting now. Not when the cookie crumbles or when the sh*t hits the fan or when the London Bridge of layoffs comes falling down. Now. She is the perfect example of someone craving out the discipline and time to make her ideal future self a reality and the value of that goes way deeper than ‘likes’.

😵💫We're going to need a bigger venue😵💫 If you did the Not Just Colouring In Survey (thank you 🙏) You were the first to know about the creatives only launch event on the 24th April. Well, we sold out. But don't panic! We’re speaking to the venue - follow the same link to join the waitlist, then as soon as we’ve confirmed more capacity 🤞 you’ll get a notification to get your tickets on a first come first served basis. We’re new to this. Maybe a free bar wasn’t such a good idea 🤔 Survey respondents that DIDN'T get a ticket - you'll get priority. Get your name on the waitlist ⏩ Remember - strictly #creatives and creative leaders only in licensors, licensees, agents, agencies (yes agencies in the same space are very welcome), retail, entertainment, heritage, sports and brand. Could be PD, any design, marketing, brand, social, content ... if you're in a creative or creative leadership role - you're in. ♥️ Thanks to everyone that already got their ticket ♥️

It's time to shake up the advertising industry. In a world that often walks in circles, we are stepping off-path, breaking the constraints of traditional industry models and re-imagining how talent comes together to create unforgettable brand work. We want to revolutionise how creativity meets commerce, how work integrates with life, and how every individual within our ecosystem is not just a contributor but a co-creator of our collective future. We are collectively imagining and realising a future that is abundant with creativity, void of burnout, and free of operational constraints, nourishing to our creative collaborators, whilst delivering cool s&*t for our clients. We are Imagine This. A global creative studio, serving up fresh ideas with a side of fries. Get in touch and find out more here: https://lnkd.in/e-pED2Pr

Throughout 2023 & at the start of 2024 many digital media outlets have gone through rounds of layoffs due to: internal restructuring, shifting business priorities, & financial struggles. Reportedly in 2023: Washington Post lost $100Mln (laid off 240 journalists); LA times lost $30-40Mln (laid off 115 journalists); New York Times lost $30-40Mln (laid off 74 journalists); Sport Illustrated failed to make $3.75Mln payment (laid off "significant number of employees), & there are many more outlets unable to turn profit, whose losses are unclear, & whose workers may soon be subjects to new layoffs. These are very grim news for 3 main reasons: 1) It once again indicates long-term systemic problems in the #MediaIndustry, & that so far close to nothing was done to effectively address them; 2) At the end of the day, it is the real people who suffer because of this decline (masses are misinformed, & many good workers lose their jobs); and 3) This has major implications especially during this year when so many political events - including many elections - will take place, & during which the #integrity of journalistic reporting is of paramount significance! Despite this negative environment, there are positive developments. Recently, CNN & its chief Mark Thompson have acknowledged the need for the Media Industry innovation & set out to outline the plan to transform their network to address the future needs. One can only hope #Web3 will be a part of it at CNN!🤞 Several years ago, Chiliz organized a breakthrough #NFT-based campaign, where - if memory serves me right - sport fans were able to vote on the team composition during specific games. This was an outstanding engagement, utility, & governance with the use of NFTs!👏 This time, an even more iconic development took place: the embrace of practical NFT uses through the Media Industry by Sports Illustrated, on an arguably larger scale, & with the help of Avalanche. This could not be more significant for the industry's innovation & is likely to gradually lower ticketing costs, while increasing customer LTV, readership engagement, & revenue in the media. As the Media Industry opens up to Web3 trends & adopts its practices, it might soon enable first cases of new revenue streams by, for example, opening secondary markets of content with more fair & efficient revenue sharing models. 🤩 There is a lot to be excited about: 1) #AI applications for higher content targeting & distribution. 2) On-chain content #DigitalRights & licenses management. 3) Community-driven content production for information plurality. I, for one, can't wait to see each of these come to life. Can you? Let's keep our eyes & ears close to reliable news sources: themed as "Rebuilding Trust" by #WEF, this year will be very interesting. Let's make it count!🤝 #MediaIndustry #NFTs #blockchains #tokenization #Web3Media #integrity #journalism #advertising https://lnkd.in/eBYgA3Ys

I have friend FOMO, not Cannes FOMO. I took a break from LinkedIn this week because I miss my friends. Being in the ad industry has been a highlight of my career. But, it’s the people who have made my life richer, more creative and given me more meaning. Being in Cannes at this stage in my career is like going to summer camp and seeing all the people who have helped you become a better version of you. But, the #CannesLions posts made me a bit sad this year.  All the texts asking me for Cannes recos on where to eat and asking me where I was and if I wanted to meet up. Being on the outside has given me a different perspective on things. I do not have Cannes FOMO. If anything, it’s the opposite of that. The corporate greed. The excessive spending. The old creatives posting pics with celebs their holding companies paid for. And in the next few weeks quarterly earning calls are coming. More layoffs are around the corner. I don’t miss that. I don’t miss how the celebration of creativity has become a week of sponsored social media posts - forcing the outside to see a world that is drastically different than the one we’re living in right now. So I will continue to separate the people I know and those whom I’m inspired by from this week. It’s just a week. Creativity, marketing and life will continue on past June 21. The future is what we make of it. #goodadvice #advertising #marketing

My ultimate takeaway from this article is that big brands with deeper pockets and huge customer bases now have to learn branding and advertising by the playbook of companies with tighter budgets. For a long time, I have never heard folks at Cannes Lions discussing product stories, embracing regular people's testimonials, being selective about which social media channels to focus on, and understanding that there is no new scalable model without first testing the waters. This has been how startups operate, particularly in communication and distribution. We'll see more big brands writing playbooks based on the learnings of the new age of DTC brands and tech startups as new media and advertising channels continue to emerge. https://lnkd.in/djywUsZa.

ICYMI: OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard as Lamar (Billboard Insider): OUTFRONT’s billboards are mainly in big urban markets and the results. More revenue is possible but sophisticated landlords will drive up lease costs. You can see this when you compare OUTFRONT’s revenue per board and lease cost per board with Lamar. OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard display but […] #DOOH #digitalbillboards #digitalsignage

ICYMI: OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard as Lamar (Billboard Insider): OUTFRONT’s billboards are mainly in big urban markets and the results. More revenue is possible but sophisticated landlords will drive up lease costs. You can see this when you compare OUTFRONT’s revenue per board and lease cost per board with Lamar. OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard display but […] #DOOH #digitalbillboards #digitalsignage

FYI: OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard as Lamar (Billboard Insider): OUTFRONT’s billboards are mainly in big urban markets and the results. More revenue is possible but sophisticated landlords will drive up lease costs. You can see this when you compare OUTFRONT’s revenue per board and lease cost per board with Lamar. OUTFRONT has higher revenue per employee, twice as much revenue per billboard display but […] #DOOH #digitalbillboards #digitalsignage