Info

The Headliner

Every week, media experts from Eulogy, an independent and award-winning communications agency, dissect the biggest stories to help brands understand and influence the agenda.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
The Headliner
2021
January


2020
November
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: December, 2017
Dec 22, 2017

 

Damian Green was sacked from the Cabinet following misleading claims about what he knew about porn found on his computer. As the expression says ‘you can’t put fingers on a keyboard’, so we will never know for sure who was using the laptop when the offending material was accessed. But, for breaking the ministerial code, Green is out. Will his departure unbalance May’s Cabinet? How will the loss of Green’s pro-European voice affect Brexit?

It’s official: Uber is a taxi company and not an ‘information society service’ as the company had claimed. The ruling from the European Court of Justice could have wide-reaching implications for the gig economy. Will this new status drive significant change? Or will this categorisation fail to cause a noticeable shift in direction for Uber? 

The stats are in and it’s true, as a nation we are Christmas obsessed. New data from Google has revealed that people in Britain make more Christmas searches than anywhere else in the world. Is our overwhelming passion for the festive season a reaction to all the negative news stories this year? Or are we simply crackers for Christmas?

Twitter has suspended the accounts of Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen, the leader and deputy leader of far-right group Britain First. Twitter is enforcing new rules which target abuse, hateful conduct and threats of physical harm. Will Golding and Fransen supporters follow them to fringe social media site ‘Gab’? Following the ‘purge’, will Twitter be a better, safer place?


Augmented reality is the next big thing if we can just figure out what that thing is. The technology, which lets users view the real world overlaid with computer-generated imagery and information has the potential to change how we drive, shop, work, learn and play. Which brand will be the first to make its use mainstream? Will 2018 be the year we use AR every day?

Rochdale council has ditched a proposed swearing ban after Manchester police warned it was unenforceable. The local authority was looking at ways to cut down on antisocial behaviour. Did these proposed bylaws breach the European Convention on Human Rights? Or was it just a lot of hot air? 

Dec 15, 2017

The Advertising Standards Authority will introduce new regulations to tackle outdated gender stereotyping in adverts. No more harried mothers doing it all, or hapless dads who don’t have a clue about the most basic domestic tasks. Is this, as actress Nanette Newman claims, ridiculously over the top? Or timely legislation that will stop adverts from reinforcing harmful stereotypes that limit choices and aspirations?

Shazam, the app that lets users identify songs, movies, TV shows and commercials, has been bought for a rumoured $400m; one of Apple's most expensive takeovers to date. Will Apple suffer buyer’s remorse? Or is this new business duet destined to make beautiful music?

US Ambassador Woody Johnson has told the Today programme he expects Donald Trump to visit the UK early in the new year. According to Woody, the much-publicised Twitter spat between Trump and May was but a misunderstanding. Will Trump grace our shores with his presence early in the new year? If he does, what kind of reception could the US President expect when popping over for tea? 

Walt Disney has bought the bulk of 21st Century Fox entertainment assets for $52.4bn, in a deal that is set to reshape Hollywood. What will the ramifications of this mega media merger be for employees and the wider industry? And the question on every fan’s lips - what does this mean for the Marvel cinematic universe?

Uber has had its preliminary hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court regarding its London licence, with the first appeal scheduled to begin in April or June next year. But Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that the case could go on for years. Is this court case an ominous rattle in Uber’s corporate engine? Or did the media fuel unwarranted hysteria about Transport for London’s ruling?

Beloved cartoon character Peppa Pig made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week when she was accused by a GP of fostering unrealistic expectations about family doctors.  Is Peppa Pig telling porkies and encouraging parents to consult their GPs about minor ailments? Or are adult viewers savvy enough to recognise that the actions of the animated animals are just child-friendly fiction?

Dec 7, 2017

The first electric black taxis have hit London's roads as part of plans to improve air quality. They are kitted out with a host of bells and whistles, including a sunroof, contactless payment, Wifi and USB charging. But will the price tag of £55,000 deter cabbies from making the upgrade? And critically, will they make a real difference to London’s pollution?

The East of England Co-op is the first big retailer to sell food past its “best before” date, in a move to try and reduce food waste, using the slogan ‘Don’t be a binner, have it for dinner’. Will savvy shoppers be tempted by the bargain price of 10p, or will this prove to be an unpalatable offer?

In the final episode of the hugely successful Blue Planet 2, Sir David Attenborough warned that the world’s oceans are turning into a ‘toxic soup’ of industrial waste and plastic. Can his impassioned plea change behaviour, or is too late to undo the damage humans have done?

It has been announced that House of Cards will re-enter production in 2018 with Robin Wright as the new lead. The future of the show had been unclear after Kevin Spacey was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct. Will viewers embrace the change of protagonist? Will this herald wider changes in Hollywood that sees women get more leading roles and screen time?

Research by Dropbox and The School of Life found workers secretly believe a third of their colleagues are rubbish at their jobs. What’s more, almost a quarter of those polled (23 per cent) complained their workmates were 'lazy'. Is a third of the population awful at their jobs, or are we a nation of complainers who love to moan?

Dec 1, 2017

A number of announcements have dripped out of this week’s news agenda following last week’s Budget and the OBR’s dismal forecast for the economy.

On Tuesday, the OECD released its Economic Outlook for 2019. It was not pretty for the UK—downgrading the 2017 growth forecast for UK to 1.5%, making it the weakest economy in G7.

As we’d expect, The Guardian focuses on Brexit as the leading cause, with its headline: UK missing out on rising global growth because of Brexit.

But even the Mail quotes Brexit uncertainty as a driving force of the pessimism. All told, the mainstream media seems to be breaking ties with its scepticism of ‘so-called experts’.

Also on Tuesday, the Bank of England released the results of its ‘stress test’ Stability Report on banks, to see if they could cope with the ‘worst possible Brexit’.

This is where it gets a bit more partisan.

The Express gleefully reports that UK banks WILL prop up British economy if there's a Hard Brexit, insists Bank of England.

The Telegraph confirms its long-held theory that UK banks would deem Brexit-proof in Bank of England stress tests.  But it concludes: “I wouldn't get the party poppers out at Canary Wharf just yet.”

You might think that was it for a dreary Tuesday in November. Alas… not one day prior, the Government had released a white paper for industrial strategy.

This is where the media gets its daggers drawn. That’s because it hints at a debate that goes right to the heart of modern politics: how much the state should interfere with the market.

The FT welcomes the paper, although merrily points out that Europhile and Tory Grandee has suggested that a much better way of improving growth would be to ‘stop Brexit’.

But it’s the Mail which is positively furious about the lack of oomph behind the paper writing that “when it comes to the real world of business, the Government’s new Industrial Strategy has more holes than a colander.”

There’s been a lot of press around Taylor Swift of late—she isn’t exactly backwards in coming forwards when it comes to launching an album. These have ranged from Buzzfeed staff searching for ‘easter eggs’ in her videos, to all the music editor reviews, to the New York Times gushing with praise as she brought Jimmy Kimmel to tears with her song New Year’s Eve in his first show after his mother passed away.

But perhaps there’s a deeper story afoot. The Verge writes cuttingly that Swift is the “modern celebrity we all deserve,” and that it “takes a real weirdo to write a song like Look What You Made Me Do; a real compelling anti-heroine to make spite the driving force of her entire life”

And this week, the Guardian’s editorial asks if she is an envoy for President Trump’s values, noting that her silence is striking, highlighting the parallels between the singer and the president: their adept use of social media to foster a diehard support base; their solipsism; their laser focus on the bottom line; their support among the “alt-right”.

YouTube under siege

A landmark deal in British media was finally cemented on the 22nd as rival publishers Telegraph Media Group, Guardian News and Media and News UK banded together to combat the ‘duopoly’ of online video advertising held by Google and Facebook. The Verified Marketplace is “designed to attract advertisers seeking large audiences and to ensure their brands do not appear alongside inappropriate material, as well as assurance their money is not wasted.”

 Coincidentally, the announcement came only a few days after an investigation by The Times revealed that big brands were being marketed on YouTube videos attractive to paedophiles.

Adidas, Mars and Diageo withdrew campaigns from the platform immediately and ISBA called an urgent meeting with Google executives to demand more proactive policing of its video platform, lest the lost advertising revenue would not be readily replenished.

Markle’s Sparkle

And, to sweeten the deal, we’ve got a Royal wedding to look forward to with Prince Harry proposing to actor Meghan Markle.

Clarence House shared the news on Monday via Twitter and there was a photo-call at Kensington Palace Gardens.

The couple were also interviewed by BBC journalist MishaI Husain. It was broadcast at 6pm on the BBC News, then shown in full on The One Show. Kate and William were interviewed by ITV's Tom Bradby.

The Mail Online noted that Argos carries a very similar engagement ring—on special for £32.99.

The wedding will take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May, Kensington Palace says. We won’t get a day off. :-(

1