It might be good to talk but it’s even better to shut up

So, there I was, toying with a few ideas for my Friday musings when up popped Google Gemini with a suggestion. Not that I’m a massive fan of AI but the phrase “We don’t like slagging off our rivals, we love it” is apparently one of our famous, long-standing taglines. 

Funnily enough I had always thought it was “Decision Marketing, the home of direct, data and digital marketing” . But who am I to argue with Google, which insists the alternative line plays on the classic marketing dilemma, whether to keep things strictly professional or lean into aggressive comparative advertising and competitor rivalry.

And there’s more. “While traditional corporate advice often warns that publicly badmouthing competition looks insecure or can backfire, modern media and challenger brands frequently use rivalries to boost engagement. For example, research highlights that referencing or even playfully engaging with an established rival can drive significantly higher audience attention and social loyalty.”

All of which brings me neatly into this week’s moan-up, which for once I do feel slightly bad about but sometimes, just sometimes, I can’t help myself.

OK, I know they say it’s good to talk but is it just me or is poor old Campaign editor Maisie McCabe running out of gas now? I mean, god bless her, but I’m not too sure I can take much more…

Over the past few weeks she’s been forced to bash out such a tedious set of editorials that you have to wonder if anyone is actually listening anymore. Can we talk about what PepsiCo-Publicis Groupe means for pitching? Can we talk about Channel 4? Can we talk about the new Campaign website? Can we talk about whether originality is still a moat? Can we talk about the fall of Harvey Nichols?

To be fair, I’d rather talk about anything than any of those…

Where is Gideon Spanier in all this, you may ask. Well, while “Mais” is forced to knock out this nonsense seemingly on a weekly basis, UK editor in chief “Gids” barely lifts a finger. In fact, he has only written two columns all year… Nice work if you can get it.

So, while it may in fact be good to talk, sometimes it’s way better to shut the fuck up. I guess Google is right after all, “we don’t like slagging off our rivals, we love it”…

Foxy has ditched X but is still on Instagram,  just don’t get too excited as she’s never there