Six Months In.

So things have been happening.

Snap Inc. did an IPO thing. Now it looks like they’re getting into maps.

The New York Times made a TV ad and it looks to have effected subscriptions in a positive way.

Various media entities have bought various other media entities.

Mary Meeker went on a stage and delivered a report. Some of it was good, some of it seemed obvious, and some of it just makes you ask, “Why is that even there?”

Retail is dead? That’s what articles have been saying. And people on various social channels have been sharing those articles — sometimes with their own comments about how everything is about to change.

VR is still a thing we talk about like teenagers plagued by virginity.

Cannes happened. Did you go? Me neither. Are we still cool?

Brands left Youtube because it turns out mass, cost efficient impression delivery provided through laziness isn’t a good idea.

Then there is Amazon. It bought Whole Foods. So we got a wave of article after article, comment after comment, and discussion after discussion about what that means — because so many of us are on Jeff Bezos’s level?

To summarize: Things are in flux.

But is that even new?

Should we — people of marketing, communications, media, advertising, brands, and business — even need to say that?

Where is the value in saying “change is constant?” How is uttering those words not like saying, “Leondardo Dicaprio is going to make another movie with Martin Scorcese while dating a super model?”

Feels that would lack insight, no?

Perhaps a lack of insight has taken the place of common sense — or has common sense itself changed? And if it has, is it for the better? No?

Just the other day I watched two panels of people exchange words.

The first panel was all about agreement. One person spoke and the other high fived them with their response. It was like watching the team that must have put together the Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner defend their decisions.

The second panel had tension. So it was entertaining. But now I don’t know if what was said taught me anything or caused me to dig deep and question how I operate, think, execute, repeat.

How is any of this good? How is any of this helpful when it comes to the day and age we live in when “a lot seems to be happening” and we’re “at the forefront of change?” Are these just words we use to make ourselves feel important?

The greatest discussion I’ve had over the past six months took place over Mother’s Day weekend with my mother and father who are in their 60s. We discussed the evolution of TV. Because it’s not dying, just changing. I told them about Connected TV. They asked me questions that used zero jargon. I answered with zero jargon so I wouldn’t have to repeat myself three times. But also because I was with my parents who are normal and what normal person that buys things and helps a business turn a profit understands a sentence where every second or third word is a fucking acronym?

Perhaps everything is a work in progress. But we have a lot of work to do.

Where to start?

Maybe we stop saying things like, “We need to think more like Amazon, or Tesla, or AirBnB?” Because, in all honesty, will we ever do that?

Maybe it’s about hearing, “Well, you know, it’s a lot harder to make this shift than you think” and replying with: “You’re right, so let’s amp up our degree of difficulty and drive things forward.”

Because forward is all we have.

And it’s a big and, for the most part, empty space that is before us.

Daunting? Very much so.

Fascinating? Why not.

There for us to do something with? Well, that’s up to us.

Here’s to the next six months.

My name is Kyle. I appreciate you stopping by.

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