14189: Cannes Cons II.

Quartz reported on a Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity event featuring Goodby Silverstein & Partners Co-Founder Jeff Goodby interviewing former Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff on his latest book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Who thought this discussion would be of relevance and importance to advertising enthusiasts? Sure, Wolff likely turned it into a pseudo-case study on PR, sales and social media. Yet the spectacle really showcased old-fashioned hucksterism, given Wolff’s first visit to Cannes in 2011 left him looking disinterested and out of place. Seven years later—and seven years removed from the advertising industry—Wolff is suddenly a celebrity at the industry’s premier awards gala. On the other hand, Goodby has already publicly displayed his disdain for President Donald Trump, so his participation in hyping Wolff’s book isn’t surprising. Although it is disturbing to see Goodby continue to share his political perspectives in a professional setting. Maybe Carl Warner was right after all in his contention that Madison Avenue presents a hostile work environment for allegedly underrepresented conservatives.

11551: Michael Wolff Is Money.

Bizarro sight of the day: Advertising Age advertised Michael Wolff—the guy who failed to revitalize Adweek—who is now a Money columnist for USA TODAY.

9546: Delayed WTF 16—Adweek Reloads.

MultiCultClassics is often occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occur without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks to make belated amends for the absence of malice.

Adweek named Lisa Granatstein as its Managing Editor, apparently replacing Michael Wolff—who is still identified as the publication’s leader at the website. Granatstein toiled at Mediaweek for a decade before a stint at Mochila. Did Mediaweek historically draw more readers than Adweek? Not sure why the wonks in charge keep hiring people with media experience to run an enterprise allegedly devoted to the ad industry. Adweek Executive Editor Jim Cooper gushed, “[Granatstein’s] wealth of experience in the media, and across platforms, will be a significant component to our commitment to top-level, comprehensive industry analysis.” Note the lack of references to advertising in Cooper’s hype. Hopefully, Granatstein will at least stop publishing perspectives on carpet campaigns.

9422: Edwards Barks At Wolff.

So far, the best Michael Wolff farewell goes to Jim Edwards at BNET—who detailed how Wolff was caught sleeping with an intern, evicting his mother-in-law and shortchanging his staff at Burn Rate. And that was only the first four paragraphs.

9420: The New York Post’s Wolff Obituary.

The New York Post reported on the ouster of former Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff, capping the news source’s predictions of the event. The Post wrote, “Traffic to Adweek.com surged in the Wolff era…” Well, yeah, but most of the visitors were heading to AdFreak, which had little to do with Wolff’s presence. Surely traffic wasn’t surging to catch the latest editorial excrement from, say, Robert Klara.

Timberrr! Wolff falls

Adweek’s editor axed after battling top brass

By Keith J. Kelly and Claire Atkinson

The turbulent era of Michael Wolff came to an end yesterday after the acerbic media critic was ousted as Adweek’s top editor following clashes with management over the direction of the struggling trade publication.

Wolff will be replaced by long-time trade veteran Jim Cooper, the executive editor, who will oversee day-to-day operations but who has pointedly not been granted the editorial director job that Wolff held.

Wolff had clashed with Jimmy Finkelstein, the chairman of parent company Prometheus Global Media, who was concerned that Adweek had strayed too far from its traditional trade roots.

The Post first reported in August that the top brass were unhappy with Wolff and looking for a way to give him his walking papers. The outspoken Wolff dismissed reports of his impending ouster.

Wolff engineered a sweeping redesign in the spring and merged its sister publications, MediaWeek and Brandweek, into Adweek. In the process, he axed many of the longtime editors and writers.

Finkelstein had grown alarmed with the direction of the publication after hearing complaints up and down Madison Avenue. Many felt he was neglecting the core of the business—the ad agency moves and executives—in favor of broader media coverage.

“The magazine had got totally lost under Michael Wolff,” said one ad agency executive. “It lost its identity. We need another publication covering agencies besides Ad Age and MediaPost.”

The executive added, “They hired a lot of young people who didn’t know anything about advertising, who all thought they were working for the New Yorker. The publication … became completely irrelevant.”

Finkelstein began sounding out industry people, including former editors of Adweek and Ad Age, its main rival, but was having difficulty finding someone willing to tackle the job.

Wolff, who remains a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and Wired, had also been an author, including a biography of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and the company’s takeover of Dow Jones. (News Corp. owns The Post.)

One source close to the situation said that Wolff would often use the trade publication to settle scores and would at times change news stories to give them his personal slant.

Traffic to Adweek.com surged in the Wolff era, but it didn’t translate into major financial gains.

“He’s done a tremendous job over the years of attracting attention to himself, and that’s both a curse and a blessing,” said one ad industry exec. “Adweek has to be more than a vanity vehicle for Michael Wolff.”

In the end, all his changes still left it far behind rival Ad Age. Through July, Adweek had 325.3 ad pages, down 4.13 percent from a year earlier. Even after a 20.3 percent tumble in the same period, rival Ad Age still boasted a 100-page lead with 439 ad pages in the seven-month period.

Wolff was not the only departure from Adweek yesterday. Managing Editor Hillary Frey left to become the managing editor of Yahoo News. Will Levith, the online editor, also left.

After getting his walking papers yesterday, Wolff invited staffers to a party at his East Village apartment.

9415: Big, Bad, Bald Wolff Out At Adweek.

It’s hardly news at this point, but Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff can now add “former” to that title. The official announcement came in the form of a press release posted at the website. Classy. Additionally, Executive Editor Jim Cooper—who will replace Wolff—wrote an incoherent Letter to Adweek’s Readers. Um, wouldn’t it have been easier to simply email the message to the handful of people who qualify as Adweek readers? Cooper used to oversee Mediaweek, which makes him the perfect choice to continue navigating Adweek’s death spiral.

9379: Kirshenbaum And Wolff Yawner.

Wow. This interview could have been titled, “Two disinterested guys being uninteresting.”

9369: Newscaster Michael Wolff Reports.

At Advertising Week 2011, Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff participated in a panel of Old White Guys blathering about the state of affairs in the news business. Based on the image above, it must have been a riveting event. The ever-cheery Wolff declared times are terrible, as advertisers have abandoned the news. Hey, under Wolff’s watch, advertisers have abandoned Adweek too. Regardless, the man believes it’s the perfect moment for students to pursue careers in the field and proclaimed, “If you have a heart, an imagination and an entrepreneurial spirit… all you need is a good idea.” The jury is still out on whether or not Wolff possesses any of the items on that list.

9357: Michael Wolff’s Last Advertising Week…?

Advertising Week 2011 has scheduled “A Conversation with Michael Wolff” for October 6 from 9:00-9:45 a.m. That should be uncomfortable. Maybe it will be the Adweek Editorial Director’s exit interview.

9345: Michael Wolff = Condé Nast Cafeteria.

Gawker ran a headline that reads: The Michael Wolff Era at Adweek Is Over. If Adweek continues its timely coverage of advertising-related news and events, expect to see the announcement of Wolff’s departure in an issue in 2012.

9303: Semi-Defending Adweek’s Michael Wolff.

The New York Post continues to report on the alleged impending firing of Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff. The last time the newspaper speculated on Wolff’s demise, comments at AdScam noted a probable vendetta, as Wolff has been highly critical of NY Post owner Rupert Murdoch—plus, one of The Post writers is a former Adweek scribe, likely grinding an ax. Whatever. The ill-fitting wonk does deserve to be booted. And MultiCultClassics has hardly been a fan of the man. At the same time, The Post coverage seems extreme. Madison Avenue has seen C-suite executives bounced without a mention from the publication. Why waste column space on the editorial director of a third-rate magazine no one reads? Additionally, the remarks about Prometheus backer and Wolff hirer Jimmy Finkelstein are pathetic. The Post used an anonymous source to declare, “Finkelstein feels Wolff doesn’t have a handle on how to run an old-fashioned trade magazine.” Um, Wolff relaunched the mess by proclaiming Adweek is “not your father’s trade magazine.” Did Finkelstein ever huddle with Wolff prior to his appointment to discuss the plan for the future? Hell, with all the inept politics, Adweek is starting to resemble a typical BDA.

Wolff tracks seen

New editor eyed

By Keith J. Kelly and Claire Atkinson

Publisher Prometheus Global Media has started searching for a replacement for Adweek Editor Michael Wolff amid an internal back-and-forth over the direction of the company, The Post has learned.

Prometheus backer Jimmy Finkelstein, who hired Wolff to overhaul Adweek after several candidates turned him down, now thinks Wolff is a controversial highbrow who has alienated old-line Madison Avenue types, sources said.

One source with knowledge of the search said Finkelstein feels Wolff doesn’t have a handle on how to run an old-fashioned trade magazine.

Finkelstein, who also owns Washington trade The Hill, has been spending most of his time since he took over the CEO job trying to figure out how to return Adweek to its business-to-business roots, using his trade mag experience as a template.

Finkelstein and Wolff didn’t return calls seeking comment.

At the same time, there appears to be a tug of war between Finkelstein and another big backer, Guggenheim partner Todd Boehly, who invested in Prometheus together.

While Finkelstein focuses on a replacement for Wolff, sources said Boehly is busy shaking the bushes for a potential buyer for Prometheus, which also owns The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazines.

“Everybody is pretending that they are in control, when in reality nobody is in control,” said one source close to the situation.

Boehly denied any internal conflict and said that he has no intention of selling in the near term.

“I have a lot of passion and a lot of energy,” said Boehly. “We’re focused on building three big verticals in music, entertainment and advertising, all of which can be taken globally and digitally.”

While he heaped praise on the changes made at The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, he said investors were still trying to figure out what to do at Adweek. He would not comment on the Wolff replacement talk.

Meanwhile, insiders say the internal environment has become far more difficult since CEO Richard Beckman was stripped in July of his day-to-day duties—taken over by Finkelstein—even though he kept the title and his lavish East Village office.

“I think all the owners have a love-hate relationship with one another,” said one insider.

Another insider was not so kind: “The Guggenheim guys are trying to get rid of Jimmy, and Jimmy is trying to get rid of Richard [Beckman].

Boehly insisted that is not the case.

“Guggenheim is not interested in getting rid of Jimmy,” he said. “We love Jimmy.”

And he said that Beckman, despite being stripped of the CEO responsibilities, is still very much involved in the search for new business.

Beckman has been scouring the globe to line up partners to extend franchises like the Billboard Music Awards, taken out of mothballs after five years and staged in Las Vegas on ABC show this year.

Last week, Beckman and Boehly were in Brazil. Beckman said he was still several weeks away from being able to reveal anything.

The executives all have their favorite titles. Said one source, “Boehly loves Billboard, Finkelstein loves The Hollywood Reporter, and nobody loves Adweek.”

9262: Adweek Print Edition Is A Hard Sell.

Not sure why Adweek insists on posting Trending Topics, whereby geeky editors preview the upcoming print edition. Watching a shaky video featuring a “talking headitor” pointing at magazine spread layouts is about as interesting as, well, reading the print edition of Adweek. Guess the promos hyping “Irreverent and thoughtful takes on the media, led by Editorial Director Michael Wolff” aren’t driving subscriptions.

9223: Michael Wolff In The Doghouse…?

The New York Post revealed that Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff may be on the hot seat, as his bosses are pissed about everything from the publication’s poor advertising revenue to the Madison-Avenue-light content to Wolff’s allegedly awful management style. Hey, have the head honchos noticed the work of ace reporter Robert Klara? But seriously, if the top brassholes are unhappy, they have only themselves to blame. Wolff’s hiring was the equivalent of ad agencies bringing in ex-standup comedians as copywriters or foreign cabaret performers as executive music producers. Next time you need an editorial director for an advertising trade journal, consider recruiting someone with expertise in, say, advertising.

Staff Cries Wolff

Adweek exit seen

By Claire Atkinson and Keith J. Kelly

Adweek’s top editor, Michael Wolff, is on the hot seat, The Post has learned.

Senior executives at Prometheus Global Media, which owns the title, have been telling business associates that they are unhappy with Adweek under Wolff, sources said.

The unhappiness has sparked a discussion among Prometheus executives and Adweek brass about whether Wolff’s contract, scheduled to run through September, will be renewed, the sources said.

The unhappiness is related to Adweek’s anemic advertising revenues and the free-spending ways of Wolff, the title’s editorial director, sources added.

Equally troubling, insiders told The Post, was Wolff’s management style, which has moved more than one staffer to complain to human resources about brusque treatment. The insiders were told, according to sources, to sit tight because the situation would be resolved soon.

Another ad source noticed that Wolff has ceased identifying himself in interviews as editorial director at Adweek.

Separately, Prometheus bosses have been apologetic about some of the public stances taken by the outspoken Wolff in his columns on the media business.

They’re also red-faced over complaints that despite its title, Adweek isn’t giving Madison Avenue enough coverage. One ad industry source noted that the $3 billion General Motors ad review, broken by rival AdAge, didn’t appear on Adweek’s Web site for almost a day.

Wolff has been clear from the start that he wasn’t running a trade mag, however, and relaunched the title in April, spending thousands of dollars on glossy photo shoots.

The launch issue drew much notice for its misspelling on the cover of social media company Zynga, which was referred to as Zenga.

Prometheus’ Jimmy Finkelstein, asked in a series of text messages whether he planned to renew Wolff’s contract, did not respond.

Wolff, who is on vacation, did not respond for comment.

Wolff, a former Vanity Fair contributing editor, arrived last October with great fanfare and a mandate to put some life into a collection of tired trade magazines including Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek.

The titles were acquired from Nielsen Co. for an estimated $70 million by Finkelstein in December 2009.

Prometheus is funded by Finkelstein’s Pluribus Capital and Guggenheim Partners.

In an April 18 interview with Yahoo News on Wolff, Observer Editor Elizabeth Spiers said: “I guess they thought Michael would at least bring them some buzz, which he has in a way, but probably not the kind they were hoping for.”

9096: Adweek’s Delayed Dullness on Draftfcb.

Don’t mean to keep bashing Adweek, but the publication grows lamer every day. Consider its coverage on the SC Johnson-Draftfcb split—arguably the biggest industry-related news story of the month. Advertising Age reported on the breakup Thursday evening, following the lead of Crain’s Chicago Business, and even provided supplemental and updated information today. Hell, blogs were delivering the latest perspectives on the shift too. Adweek countered by lazily coughing up 400+ words on the event late Friday morning. Meanwhile, Editorial Director Michael Wolff is shuttling around London like a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, seeking smoking guns for the Rupert Murdoch controversy.

9091: An American Wolff In London.

Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff has flown to London to more closely cover the Rupert Murdoch mess—presumably because Adweek readers give a shit about the affair. In his latest over-dramatic video report, Wolff declared, “What we have here is the next stage in the collapse of the credibility of both Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch.” As well as the next stage in the collapse of the credibility of Adweek.

9034: Adweek Predicts Murdoch Assault…?

Well, it looks like Adweek was prophetic after all with its poll regarding Rupert Murdoch being in personal jeopardy. The media mogul was attacked during his appearance before British Parliament today, with an alleged protestor trying to hit the old man with some substance (perhaps shaving cream) and calling him “a greedy billionaire.” No one was injured, but what’s up with Parliament security? Expect more ultra-dramatic commentary from Michael Wolff.

9020: Adweek On The Murdochalypse.

Given Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff’s interest in media over advertising—as well as his authorship of a Rupert Murdoch biography—the publication is dedicating lots of editorial space to examining the News of the World scandal. A series of videos allows Wolff to offer his two cents, while also probably serving as casting auditions for cable news sources seeking pseudo-expert commentators. The overly dramatic collection includes Michael Wolff on the Murdochalypse, Goodbye Rebekah and Michael Wolff on the Latest Murdoch Casualty. Yo, Mikey, lighten up—you’re not a war correspondent reporting from a battle zone.

8939: Michael Wolff, The Accidental Tourist.

Adweek Editorial Director Michael Wolff published a wordy and rambling perspective on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, ultimately showing once again that the man really needs to find another line of work.

As previously mentioned, one major problem with Wolff is his seeming disinterest with the advertising industry. And it appears the disinterest is actually evolving into disdain. Oh, and let’s not forget it’s all rooted in industry ignorance.

Wolff opens his column by announcing, “This has been my first year at the Cannes Lions festival”—and he even admits to feeling embarrassed about being there (the soiree isn’t as prestigious as the Festival de Cannes, doggone it). He then proceeds to blather on like a tourist who accidentally booked a vacation during the event, and only realized the mistake upon arriving at the scene. It’s easy to imagine Wolff in Bermuda shorts, lathered with sunscreen, clutching a crumpled map and wandering aimlessly along the beach.

The accidental tourist wrote, “A discordant note here for any outsider is the constant use of the word ‘creative’ in a world where no one else thinks of advertising as a creative act. Movies are creative, advertising… well, hardly.” Ouch. Wonder if there was an awkward moment where Wolff bumped into ex-Adweek columnist Barbara Lippert, who spent most of her career writing about advertising creativity.

Oddly enough, Wolff closes by declaring, “For sure, I am coming back next year.” Hopefully, it won’t be as the Adweek Editorial Director.

8861: Under Wolff, Adweek Is A Dog.

Wanted to post this perspective last week, but it seemed a bit disrespectful on Memorial Day.

Adweek is completing the second month since relaunching as The Voice of Media. It would be more appropriate to call it The Voice of Mediocrity. Or maybe just call its time of death already.

There has been little progress from the initial kickoff, and the issues MultiCultClassics originally spotlighted have only gotten worse. Granted, no one has asked for this blog’s opinion, but other sources have criticized the degradation as well.

Sadly, Adweek reflects the industry on certain abstract levels. Like many advertising agencies, the publication has fallen victim to mergers and acquisitions that led to cost-cutting maneuvers, staff reorganizations and layoffs—essentially rooted in corporate ignorance and arrogance. Additionally, the people brought in to lead the revolution are outsiders with questionable credentials. Mirroring major Madison Avenue shops, the end result at Adweek is a disjointed mess devoid of distinction, discipline and direction.

Michael Wolff might be a nice guy, and he’s possibly even intelligent in specific areas of media. In his opening column, Wolff revealed his father owned and operated an advertising agency. But like the nepotism so prevalent in the business, blood relations don’t equate to being qualified. In other words, the son of an adman may not be the best choice to run a trade journal. Why, it’s akin to having a former wire shopping basket manufacturer overseeing a global advertising network. Worst of all, Wolff doesn’t appear to be legitimately interested in the industry. He’s a stark contrast to the folks at Advertising Age—or Adweek scribes of the past—who have shown an honest passion for the ad world.

Here’s a list of old, new and enhanced gripes regarding the 2011 Adweek:

• The large-type headers and intros are clumsy. Don’t force readers to click through multiple pages to read a story—especially if the story is not worth reading. It’s bad user experience. Additionally, the big bylines with writer portraits are silly and narcissistic. It might look OK in the magazine version. However, it’s dumb and self-absorbed when the writers are nobodies. This ain’t The New Yorker, Rolling Stone or Sports Illustrated, where nationally-recognized columnists convene.

• Right now, AdFreak is the main draw. In fact, MultiCultClassics once said, “The New Adweek is the Old AdFreak.” There must be a better way to bridge the two entities. Not sure what the answer is, but it’s embarrassing that the general publication’s content is far less compelling than the joke-filled stuff.

• The New Adweek is the Current AgencySpy. A few years ago, Adweek proceeded to monitor comment threads, deleting the barbs of obscene and negative trolls. That effort has been abandoned, as evidenced by the ugliness generated for a racist Psychology Today story (and what the hell was this piece doing on the site anyway?). Aspiring to AgencySpy standards is not a good plan.

• The fresh design lacks substance. Like too much of what is pouring out of Madison Avenue these days, Adweek offers slick art direction with so-so copy and zero concepts. There is an appalling emptiness here. Plus, the visual embellishments are not that cool.

• Hire better writers. Too many Adweek veterans bailed out or were terminated. MultiCultClassics is not sold on the writers who shifted from Mediaweek and Brandweek. Andrew McMains is decent. Sorry, but others are forgettable—or just plain terrible.

Wolff bragged that the revamped publication is “not your father’s trade magazine.” Yeah, but what the fuck is it? A poor man’s Esquire? A Vanity Fair wannabe? As a challenger brand, there must be a unique position to justify the franchise’s existence. It’s time for Adweek to define its image. This is one area where Wolff and his crew ought to emulate Madison Avenue. Hatch the proverbial Big Idea and go with it. Otherwise, Adweek risks following in the footsteps of advertising agencies that have vanished from the face of the earth.

8771: The New Adweek Is The Old AdFreak.

The new Adweek is three weeks old, so MultiCultClassics dropped by to view the progress. The Editor’s Picks features “The Week on AdFreak”—and the Most Popular list is comprised of ten AdFreak posts. Maybe it’s time to replace Michael Wolff with Tim Nudd.