Filed under: 2026, A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Cannes, Cliches, Communication Strategy, Corporate Evil, Corporate Gaslighting, Creativity, Culture, Fake Attitude
That image is quite the devastating, destructive viewpoint isn’t it?
And I hate it because sadly – the vast majority of people who act like this – look like me.
Male.
White.
Privileged.
On the wrong side of 40.
Now there’s a big difference between looking the part and being the part – and I hope-to-fuck I only fall into the former category – but I have seen more than a few people develop increasingly arrogant, self-righteous, binary viewpoints in a bid to convince themselves they’re still important while trying to directly appeal to others in similar situations as them, so they can feel they’re still relevant.
I should point out this post is not about the people I discussed yesterday, it’s actually about Karl Stefanovic … the the ex-presenter of Australia’s Channel 9 breakfast show who, like many older, privileged, white men like Russell Brand and Elon Musk, has seen the commercial advantages of becoming a right-wing, racist, sexist prick.
That said, it we’re being honest, this sort of behaviour isn’t exactly foreign to a lot of people in our industry – especially when I recently saw a TikTok of a female influencer who had attended Cannes and said she had been constantly propositioned by men to ‘go up to their hotel room’ within minutes of meeting them.
I have been trying to find it again but can’t – so if anyone has seen it, can you please send it to me – but that aside …
What the fuck?
Seriously, what the fuck?
I know the ad industry – and Cannes – has a reputation for some less than savory behaviour but this shit??
Fuck off! Get a life! Stop thinking you have superiority that allows you to do whatever you want, free from accountability.
We talk about AI ruining our industry, but these fuckers are doing a much better job of it.
And what’s the betting many of them have daughters …
Actually, what’s the betting many would want to kill any man who said such things to their daughters?
Which is why maybe one of the best things the industry can do for our future is to elevate character to the same level as creativity … even though – as a friend of mine said recently – that would mean all the holding companies would lose their C-Suite overnight.
Allegedly, haha.