That’s because polished summaries and broadly-applicable insight – the kinds of content we are most likely to produce when speaking in a nameless ‘brand voice’ – are now effectively free. What’s much harder to replicate is personal experience: what someone has learned, seen or discovered for themselves. In a world of abundant content, that has luxury value.
There is a parallel move happening in the news media itself. Newspapers once saw the ‘editorial leader’ – a column written in the name of the paper, collectively backed by the editorial staff – as the focal point for intervening in national and international conversations. Now, journalists are also working across social media, video, podcasts and newsletters, putting their faces at the forefront of the publications they work for.
If that is the new model of success for journalism, it will obviously suit some more than others. Like the development of the talkies, it means that the same job suddenly requires a different skillset. The same is increasingly true for corporate spokespeople. A tightly controlled three-minute broadcast interview, a 45-minute podcast conversation, an on-stage discussion and a written opinion piece all ask different things of the person delivering them.
The ability to be controlled and disciplined remains important, particularly in crisis situations. But spontaneity, curiosity, storytelling, and the confidence to explore an idea rather than simply recite an established position are now equally important tools.
