At last, Elon Musk has acquired Twitter, beating a deadline imposed by a Delaware judge by just a few hours. The “Chief Twit” joins his contemporary Jeff Bezos in the pantheon of 21st century media barons.
Now the deal is done, there’s considerable pressure to right the ship.
Read More “With Twitter under Elon Musk’s control, social media just got interesting again”
By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty
We’ve learned an awful lot about working from home. It has given many people the freedom to combine work with more family time. It has been the miracle that has kept the economy spluttering on through the lockdowns.
Many now don’t want to go back to the old normal drudgery of commuting to the office.
In the cold light of day, and in the long run, will that position really be possible to maintain? And are we seeing that company cultures are already running on fumes?
Read More “Company cultures are running on fumes: should we return to the office?”
The vaccine is enabling politicians, business and the public to contemplate a return to normal. But, as the Chancellor says, “the economic emergency is just beginning”.
So, how can businesses and brands adapt to and benefit from the changes in consumer behaviour? What should they do to prepare their people and their workplaces for the return? How can we tackle late payments for good?
We hope you enjoy this edition of Weak Links and we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
By Katie Simpson, managing director, corporate affairs and financial, of global recruitment firm Hanson Search
There has been much discussion about how the business world, will change following Covid. There is a wide consensus that when we return to normal, we, well…won’t. In short, there is now effectively no normal to return to.
By Laura Beaumont, PR manager, at tech firm Infobip
Brands want to develop closer connections with their customers, especially during biggest shopping event of the year.
One way they can do this is to have real-time conversations with customers they want to sell to. This has become known as “conversational commerce”, and it is easy for a business to misjudge it.
Read More “How “conversational commerce” will be on the rise in the run up to Christmas”
Until now, many businesses have focused on survival in the face of the unknown. But the time has come to start rebuilding and looking to a better future.
By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty
Survival has been the name of the game, but it is not an end game.
For many firms, the main focus so far has been to batten down the hatches in the face of rising uncertainty.
It is time to start rebuilding. Gradually, the economy will start to splutter back into life. We will be at the foot of a tall mountain.
By Diane Banks, CEO of literary, broadcast and speaking agency Northbank Talent Management
Many of us have read about the $17bn which, pre-C19, Netflix had allocated to spend on content this year, projected to rise to $26bn by 2028 (source: Variety).
They were not alone. Disney allocated $2.5bn to launch Disney. Apple $6 billion for Apple TV+ in its first year. AT&T more than $2bn for its forthcoming streaming service, HBO Max. Comcast’s NBCUniversal set aside $2 billion to fund the first two years of its new streaming service, Peacock.
“Weak Links?”
In 1973 Stanford Professor Mark Granovetter’s “the strength of weak ties” argued that weak links, between people with different opinions, help new and unfamiliar ideas spread.
Read More “Weak Links #7: free speech, silence, corporate citizenship, diversity”
By Amy Watt, founder, Megawatt Coaching
As we settle into self-isolation, silence is likely to become a bigger part of our lives. A little understood virtue in communications, those who harness its power are often on the front foot in their careers and their counsel.
Ever found yourself in a one-sided conversation about a project, with little chance to speak or ask a question? If so, you’re not alone. We comms people are often in overdrive, with many meetings, tasks and priorities.
