Omar Oakes

London

I had an account here for many years but left after Elon Musk made Twitter terrible. But I'm keeping my handle just in case.

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Articles

A guide to blagging your way through ‘quality’ publishing

1 week ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionCelebrity journalism has often blurred the line between PR and reality — but the Bernard Bale story reveals just how far you can go when no-one asks questions. What does it actually mean to be a person? If someone says something on your behalf, does that count as your voice? In journalism — especially the celebrity-industrial kind — the answer has always been: close enough.
Are social media apps now so similar we can’t tell them apart?

3 weeks ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionMeta says yes. A US regulator says: how convenient. But, whether it serves his interest or not, does Mark Zuckerberg have a point? In case you missed my previous article, this column has a new format. I ask a question and invite readers to answer it, then I report on what the answers are in the next edition. All caught up? Let’s go…Last week, Meta said something that, on the face of it, should be astounding: all social apps are now basically the same.
Stop trying to be interesting — start being interested - The Media Leader

1 month ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionIt’s time we stopped performing thought leadership and started pursuing actual thought if we want the industry to be better. Everyone in advertising and media now wants to be the smartest person in the chatroom. And we’ve built an entire ecosystem to reward that impulse. Panels. Podcasts. LinkedIn posts with carefully rationed line breaks. Thought leadership that’s heavy on the “leadership” and light on the “thought”.
If YouTube is TV’s future, creators need a better deal

1 month ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

Why would they? They benefit too much from keeping creators trapped. But there are ways out. 1. Stop relying on platform monetisation: Treat YouTube ad revenue, TikTok bonuses and Instagram payouts asextra, not the foundation. Platformschange the rules whenever they want — and they will. The only way to build a sustainable business isowning income streams you control. 2. Own your audience: If YouTube or Instagram shuts down your account tomorrow,you’d lose everything.
We tell stories for a living — but ignore this one at work - The Media Leader

2 months ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

This column contains stories about baby death that some readers may find upsetting. OpinionMedia leaders love to talk about workplace culture, but grieving parents are still being sidelined. Baby loss isn’t rare — our silence about it should be. The name Ottilie is all the rage. Like Margot and Maeve, Ottilie is massively trending upwards in the Office for National Statistics name rankings — up a whopping 791 places since 2012.
It’s really not fine right now, is it?

2 months ago | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionIt may be too painful to accept that what Elon Musk is doing to our industry is highly dangerous. We must all resist the urge to see this shocking behaviour as the new normal. Now we know the “tough guy” talk from Elon Musk is a lie. We should have known that when Musk told Disney CEO Bob Iger and other advertisers to “go fuck yourself” in 2023, he didn’t mean it.
The Zuck stops nowhere: Why Meta will never be held accountable

Feb 10, 2025 | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionIt’s not a question of if but when you decide to give up on your principles. Nothing will get brands, big or small, to leave Meta. “I’ve spoken to many clients about Facebook and they say ‘Facebook’s great for business’. I’m not going to keep my job in a year because of my principles. I keep it because my business has grown.”That’s the real answer to Thinkbox CEO Lindsey Clay’s powerful piece last month asking what it will take to hold a tech giant like Meta accountable.
Media agency brands are dead

Jan 27, 2025 | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

OpinionHoldcos talk about diversity and culture but remain addicted to centralising operations. Why is this command-and-control mindset not challenged enough? So now we know why Nick Lawson abruptly exited EssenceMediacom as global CEO at the end of last year. The world’s biggest media buying agency group, led by newish CEO Brian Lesser, has just announced a major reorganisation that axed global agency leadership roles altogether.
Big Tech becomes Mafia Tech: How advertisers must respond now

Jan 13, 2025 | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

Consider this: what if Donald Trump had been assassinated? It was only six months ago that Trump was shot in the ear during an election rally. Two inches to the right and he would have died. When we create a world in which one person can have so much individual power, two inches is massive: it’s the difference between an entire society lurching from stability to chaos. Or, in the case of social media, the difference between content moderation and Community Notes.
Omnicom and Interpublic merger: Plus ça change

Dec 9, 2024 | uk.themedialeader.com | Omar Oakes

100% Media 0% NonsenseWhen Omnicom and IPG merge, nothing really changes apart from some agency brands get shut down and a lot of people lose their jobs. The big holding groups remain one homogenous blob. As I approach the end of my tenure as editor-in-chief of The Media Leader, I want to offer a recapitulation of how important it is for online journalism to resist the urge to chase “trending” stories.