Michael Farmer
As seen in:
The Telegraph,
PLOS ONE,
NBA.com,
Substack,
BioRxiv,
Media Village,
loveEXPLORING,
HispanicAd.com
Covers:
The effect of strategic changes on marketing organizations. The need for CEOs and CMOs to adjust their operations and expectations in light of strategic changes.
Doesn't Cover:
The effectiveness of specific advertising executions.
Author of Madison Avenue Manslaughter
Author of Madison Avenue Makeover
Industry Consultant
Professor of Branding & Integrated Communications at CCNY
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
It was only 8 months ago! I"m still freelance.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Absolutely. I took typing in high school -- the only male in a class of 20. Manual typewriters.
How is social media changing news?
Removing all of its intelligence.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
That would certainly have to be Stephen Colbert, the TV journalist / interviewer of The Colbert Report.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
The terrifying experience of deadlines.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I'm a bigger fan of tabloid headlines. My favorite: UK 1992. A Minister was sacked for lying about an affair : "From Toe Job to No Job"
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
My stories are self-generated -- I'm never pitched!
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A laptop. Excel. But first, of course, there's the story that has to be discovered in the data. This requires thinking and conceptualization.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram. The pictures carry the message.
Who do you wish followed you?
Sir Martin Sorrell.
Why did you become a journalist?
Fell into it because I wrote a book -- an editor asked me to crank out weekly columns on marketing and advertising.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No -- I never did any writing in high school. I was a salesclerk in an Army-Navy store, saving for college.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
"Benchmarking is the Waterboarding of the Ad Industry." This common practice is a form of business torture.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read great novels and a lot of history.
When's the best time to pitch you?
At 6 am when I'm on my second cup of coffee.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Haven't been lucky enough to have any of these.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I've only given bad pitches; I never receive them!
What's your favorite drink?
Cranberry juice.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On a train, commuting into New York City. Sadly, I'm not behind a piano keyboard often enough.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I'm a management consultant, and the common misperception is that we're only interested in spreadsheets and numbers.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.