Omar Oakes's Avatar

Omar Oakes

@omaroakes.bsky.social

I have so many questions… Expert writer on media business and advertising | Comms strategy consultant for advertising and media companies | Founding editor, The Media Leader | Podcaster | Events host | https://omaroakes.substack.com

29 Followers  |  59 Following  |  14 Posts  |  Joined: 13.02.2025  |  1.9588

Latest posts by omaroakes.bsky.social on Bluesky

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This ad just came up on my LinkedIn feed, which is kind of amazing given everything the outrage over the AI line-judging mistakes at #wimbledon.

Remember: if humans aren’t perfect, they are hardly likely to develop perfect systems to replace them!

09.07.2025 10:44 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Time to fight back against media’s mobile peer pressure - The Media Leader We ban smartphones from our kids, but design media plans that depend on them. If mobile screen time has now overtaken TV, isn't it finally time to do something about this contradiction?

People in advertising know smartphones and social media aren’t good for people... yet they still go to work and build the machine that runs on it.

If you wouldn’t give it to your kids, why give it to someone else's?

Latest oped for @themedialeader.bsky.social: uk.themedialeader.com/time-to-figh...

01.07.2025 08:16 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Three winning DM9 campaigns are withdrawn from Cannes Lions, as festival pledges tighter oversight The festival said it is withdrawing all prizes for Consul’s “Efficient Way to Pay,” Urihi Yanomami’s “Gold = Death” and OKA Biotech’s “Plastic Blood.”

All content creators, from tiddlers like me to global ad agencies, should be transparent about how and why they use AI.

Cannes Lions should’ve been ahead of this but are now introducing an enhanced Code of Conduct.

Last thing ads/media need is yet another hit to trust.

adage.com/events-award...

28.06.2025 10:01 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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This was supposed to be a short post... ...but here's the thing about what you're 'supposed' to do when creating 'content'

What’s a belief about your work you’ve been too afraid to say out loud?

Mine: I'm fed up with BlueSky, X, and the whole "microblogging" thing.

Better 10 people read work I thought about and crafted, than hundreds half-glance at something made on the toilet

omaroakes.substack.com/p/this-was-s...

06.06.2025 11:55 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
An iceberg portraying the UK agency landscape for marketing services. 1% of agencies are part of holding companies (the tip of the iceberg); 99% are independents (the hidden part below the waterline).

An iceberg portraying the UK agency landscape for marketing services. 1% of agencies are part of holding companies (the tip of the iceberg); 99% are independents (the hidden part below the waterline).

Arrgggghhhhhhh once you see this, you can't unsee it!

When it comes to UK marketing services, independent agencies ARE the industry, says @Agency by Agency research...
💼 99% = independent
💼 They employ 88% of the workforce
💼 They generate 76% of total turnover

www.linkedin.com/pulse/ignore...

28.03.2025 13:24 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Here are the WSJ tech journalists whose jobs were eliminated - Talking Biz News Here are The Wall Street Journal journalists whose jobs were eliminated on Tuesday: Reporters: Asa Fitch — a reporter covering the semiconductor companies, including Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm. Prior ...

Yesterday it became public that a bunch of my colleagues on the WSJ tech team were let go in a reorg.

I want to emphasize that these are *fantastically* talented, smart, deeply sourced reporters. Anyone scooping up talent right now, I'm happy to make an intro:

talkingbiznews.com/media-news/h...

06.03.2025 16:26 — 👍 158    🔁 52    💬 5    📌 1

Please add more, let's print signs for @transportforlondon.bsky.social

05.03.2025 08:33 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

4. Leaner is either so ignorant of the basics of social etiquette that we have every reason to suspect they are from outer space OR they are so pathetically contemptuous as to resort to violence if were to politely ask them not to lean

05.03.2025 08:33 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Every single Democratic candidate should be running on the platform of defunding Elon Musk. Basically pledge to vote 'no' on any budget bill that directs a single penny toward SpaceX or any of his companies.

03.03.2025 14:43 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Only governments can tax businesses. When a private individual or company does it, it’s extortion.

03.03.2025 12:07 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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How Zelensky's lack of a suit may have fuelled Oval Office spat The Ukrainian president's military-style attire came up before he was upbraided by President Trump and JD Vance.

This is the problem with the timidity and fake balance of BBC political coverage. A historic betrayal of Ukraine to Russia by Europe's former ally is boiled down to an utterly superficial row about a man's clothes www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

02.03.2025 10:15 — 👍 2781    🔁 643    💬 260    📌 56

Almost 20 European leaders, incl Emmanuel Marcon & Friedrich Merz, plus VDL, have posted in support of @ZelenskyyUa after White House showdown.

Notably, Keir Starmer has not. No 10 is referring reporters to PM’s comments this week on a just & lasting peace, with Ukraine at heart of talks.

28.02.2025 21:25 — 👍 1544    🔁 471    💬 188    📌 149
Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain

Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain

Supporters Praise Trump For Upholding Traditional American Value Of Supporting Murderous Dictators For Political Gain

28.02.2025 19:30 — 👍 14892    🔁 2911    💬 205    📌 141

Me too! I’ve used it every day for more than a year and never once was told or saw Duo “die”.

27.02.2025 09:20 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I'm on a 620 day streak and I read more about this on LinkedIn than I did on the app.

27.02.2025 07:39 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Spotted in London this week

26.02.2025 20:38 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Obviously terrible. But remember:
- he genuinely doesn't care about Gaza or Israel.
- he is a smalltime crook and will only ever think like a one i.e. what can he scam and what can he flex
- his go-to media tactic is DISTRACT
- focus on following the money (if you can in the crypto age...)

26.02.2025 10:26 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Every time someone tells me AI is the future, I ask 'What kind of AI do you mean?' (99/100 they mean Gen AI).

Then I say:

'It's all based on stolen content, none of it is making any money, and the environmental cost is staggering - look into it'

From now on I'll just send them this article.

25.02.2025 08:18 — 👍 32    🔁 9    💬 3    📌 2
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Exclusive | X Hinted at Possible Deal Trouble in Talks With Ad Giant to Increase Spending Interpublic Group recently signed an advertising agreement with the social-media platform; other agencies are also in negotiations.

X to IPG after the US election: “Get your clients to spend more on Elon Musk’s social-media platform, or else.”

www.wsj.com/business/med...

20.02.2025 06:59 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Well done Elon: the new US Doge.gov website is so insecure that anyone can just post their own updates on it (via @404media.co) One person defaced the site with "THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN." and "THIS IS A JOKE OF A .GOV SITE"

Imagine if he ran a social media platform!

14.02.2025 14:07 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1

Ace Ventura Ket Detective 😂🤣😂

14.02.2025 12:42 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

The Media Leader is now on Bluesky. If you follow me and enjoy my reporting on the media industry, be sure to give the wider outlet a follow to keep up to date on news and read more from our columnists and contributors: @themedialeader.bsky.social

11.02.2025 17:56 — 👍 4    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0

@omaroakes is following 19 prominent accounts