Out of Scope Issue 101: LinkedIn—Critical or Cringe?
Plus: The CCO takes the spotlight and Gen-Z's quest for stability
This week shed light on something many have long suspected: LinkedIn has changed its spots. From the onslaught of influencers to promoting content creators, the job search site has entered a new era where the personal and professional continue to blur. Hirsch Leatherwood examines this and other changes affecting where, how, and when executives and brands communicate, promote, and protect their brands.
💡ON OUR MINDS: Times Are Changing for LinkedIn
Scroll through your LinkedIn feed, and you'll notice the platform looks drastically different from yesteryear. It had already started shedding its staid reputation pre-COVID. Then the global pandemic hit and further blurred professional and personal lines as people shared more personal experiences, from layoffs to detailing emotional trauma, or coworker drama, to the rise of the influencer sharing their hot takes.
For some, the change reflects how we live our daily lives in and out of the workplace: more open, more vulnerable. For others, LinkedIn has entered its peak cringe era, replete with virtue signaling, posts raging against former (and current) employers, and posts that increasingly have nothing to do with work or professional development. In short, it's starting to resemble other social media apps.
For their part, LinkedIn is embracing its metamorphosis into a veritable virtual water cooler. With nearly 10 million posts and comments daily, a 40% engagement increase, and 230 million job applications monthly on the platform, the brand will likely always be synonymous with professional development, just more reflective of people's lives (from the boring to cringe). And for executives and companies looking to elevate their brand and connect with their audience, communicating as an authentic, trusted voice is more vital than ever.
📡 ON OUR RADAR
Chief comms officers take the spotlight. CCOs might finally be getting their due. Top executives increasingly look to their head of comms as companies navigate corporate crises, bolstering or protecting the brand and communicating with employees. Fortune 100 companies have come around to what Hirsch Leatherwood has always believed: effective communication is the most critical leadership skill. It will be interesting to see how the role evolves over the next few years.
After enduring COVID throughout college years, the youngest workforce members have had their fill of chaos. New data from the career services platform Handshake found that stability is the first consideration for class-of-2023 job seekers, signaling that organizations would do well to project an air of steadiness when communicating with prospective talent.
This week, defying the American tradition of political incumbents trumping all, Lori Lightfoot was knocked out of Chicago’s mayoral race. While folks on both sides of the aisle continue to argue about where Lightfoot went wrong (crime, teacher unions, and drawbridges, oh my!), Slate’s Henry Grabar argued that Lightfoot’s departure symbolizes “the plight of the pandemic mayor.” Both in politics and in life, the truth remains: life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.
🥊QUICK HITS:
In case you missed these stories.
Photo and video editing app VSCO is putting on a masterclass in understanding its loyal users.
From DeuxMoi to doctors’ offices, Ozempic (a diabetes drug turned off-label weight-loss jab) is taking the world by storm.
Tiffany & Co. mixes American innovation and luxury to breathe new life into the brand and attention on those iconic little blue boxes.
Thanks for reading,
HL
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This week’s newsletter is brought to you by the reminder that there is room for whimsy in everything—even Tweets from an elected official.