The era of the polished, synthetic corporate brand is over. The proliferation of media channels has blown up the old, narrow funnel. Success now comes from the people behind the company—CEOs and founders—speaking directly and authentically, explaining their thoughts and decisions in their own words.
The transition to new media is so profound that every instinct cultivated in the old regime is now wrong. Caution, a desire for control, and fear of leaks were once virtues; now they are liabilities. To succeed, leaders must consciously unlearn these habits and embrace speed, authenticity, and offense.
The old goal of being universally liked is incompatible with being powerful in the new media environment. If you are making an impact and have a strong point of view, some people will inevitably dislike you. This controversy should be viewed as a positive signal of your relevance and significance, not a problem to be solved.
Marshall McLuhan argued that TV forces all content into a "TV show" format. The internet's native format is the "viral post"—a piece of media that rises and falls rapidly, often within 36 hours. This format prioritizes emotional arousal and speed over the structured, sanded-off narratives of television.
Public figures are most vulnerable when they make short, context-free statements (e.g., on Twitter). The best defense is to articulate complex or controversial ideas in long-form formats like podcasts or essays. This surrounds the idea with its full context, making it much harder for critics to misinterpret or weaponize.
Based on military theory, the key to media dominance is speed. By observing, orienting, deciding, and acting (OODA) faster than your critics or competitors, you change the landscape before they can react. This forces them to constantly reset their process, leading to psychological breakdown and ceding control of the narrative to you.
Media formats on the internet fall into either "oral" (emotional, interpersonal, short-form) or "written" (logical, abstract, long-form) culture. Counterintuitively, short text like a tweet functions as oral culture due to its emotional immediacy, while a long podcast functions as written culture by allowing for deep, analytical discussion.
In the past, media strategy was defensive, focused on controlling information and avoiding misinterpretation by a few powerful channels. Today's strategy is offensive: create so much interesting content across many channels that you control the narrative and "flood the zone," making any single negative story irrelevant.
New media rewards being interesting, a trait inherent to founder CEOs who must possess original ideas. In contrast, professional CEOs often rise through careful politicking, which prioritizes being uncontroversial. This gives founders a significant advantage in building a modern brand and attracting talent, customers, and investors.