I’ve worked in RTÉ for longer than I would care to admit.  There are a few words that have stuck with me over that period that I have brought with me in my approach to our business over that time.

1. Endeavour 

This word is hated amongst our agency peers.  It is one of the worst words you can use. Just don’t go there. Nobody cares how much effort you put in they just want to know that you are going to do what you say. Seems reasonable.

2. Innovation 

I think this is one of the most overused buzzwords of the industry that annoys me every time I see it (I’m easily annoyed but still!)  Innovation scares people whose instinct isn’t to be ‘creative’. It makes them uncomfortable and afraid to play in that space. It’s overused and comes with a lot of pressure.  

Innovation is often doing something that was done before, tweaking things or just thinking differently and we need a better word so that we don’t stop people in their tracks...it can be simple don’t overcomplicate it, simple but effective works.

3. Transparency 

This word means a lot to me. Transparency and trust go hand in hand. Transparency has served us well in my time in RTÉ. It’s a value that I believe is part of our culture and at the core of what we do. It’s one word where I fully believe we’ve walked the walk and with huge results. Transparency has helped to foster some of our best relationships as well as some amazing product developments such as Ad Sentry as well as the DTSG Brand Safety (DTSG) seal.

4. Delivery 

Campaign management and delivery are at the forefront of what the Commercial Operations team do, and it is an absolute cornerstone of our business. We cannot be transparent nor responsible business partners unless delivery is front and centre of everything we do. We make commitments to our clients to deliver the audiences they have paid for and delivering these commitments is a top priority for us when it comes to booking airtime onto campaigns. Inventory and market conditions don’t always make this an easy task but it’s a key part of what we do and what we do well.

5. Partnerships 

This word demonstrates the shift over time to the relationships at play between media owners and media agencies or clients. There is a much greater requirement to work together and this can only work when it benefits all parties. With fragmentation has come much greater collaboration coupled with a better understanding of our client’s needs. Perhaps where the gaps that exist are between media owner to media owner.

6. Value

Media has been overcommoditised but value is an intrinsic part of all of our conversations and transactions. We need to be mindful of true value and to ensure that value remains valued. 

7. VOD

It’s hard to imagine that when I started my career this word neither existed nor was as central as it is now to reach an audience both in terms of an extension to our existing TV audience as well as a stand-alone audience online. TV and online video are often one and the same to the consumer, especially when viewed on the big screen.

8. Content

This doesn’t need any explanation without it we are nothing.

9. Lunch

The meaning of this word has probably had the most dramatic evolution over the course of my career. Lunch is a lot shorter, taken less often, way more solitary and far less likely to involve booze. 

 

I prefer short and to the point so I won’t get into addressable, programmatic, collaboration, scale, reach or many of the other words. If I have any take out from the above it is if we remember what works and continue with great content, transparency, delivery and partnerships with a focus on value and perhaps the occasional old-fashioned lunch we are in a good place! We’ve come a long way in a short time and need to continue that journey albeit at a faster pace.