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

5 reasons why WPP’s next CEO should be AI

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

OpinionIf the job of running an agency holding company has become performative, constrained and algorithmic, why pretend it requires a human? “You saw a side of Mark that day that you don’t normally see.”That’s what more than one person told me after I interviewed WPP CEO Mark Read on stage at The Media Leader Awards two years ago. You can still watch the video. The consensus was that he came across as considered, insightful… even funny.
Roll your own DICE: How values will save you from the AI swamp

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

OpinionThis is why human-led content needs a compass more than ever: values can’t be faked. You can’t prompt your way to perspective. Most marketing content today is forgettable. AI just makes it faster and dumber. When I became editor of The Media Leader, one of the first things I did wasn’t hire staff or chase traffic. It was values. We published a set of editorial principles shaped by peers across media and advertising. Four words: disruption, inclusion, courage, excellence (DICE).
What if the next great agency was built for a dry cleaner?

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

OpinionThe ad industry keeps obsessing over whales, but the krill are paying the bills. It’s time someone built an agency for the rest. “I don’t think the solution at this point is further research. I think the solution is trying to get agencies and clients to act on that research.”World Media Group CEO Jamie Credland recently said this during a conversation about why advertisers might be under-investing in “quality” media.
A guide to blagging your way through ‘quality’ publishing

1 month 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?

2 months 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

2 months 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

Mar 24, 2025 | 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

Mar 10, 2025 | 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?

Feb 24, 2025 | 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.