The November issue could either be the most popular issue of AdNews in three years. Or the least popular. I'm ready for the fallout either way.
Our cover feature is The AdNews 2016 Power 50 List. The 50 people we deem most powerful operating in the media, marketing and advertising industry today.
I decided it was time to bring back The Power List after a hiatus of three years. It ran as the Power 50 between 2005 and 2013, but hasn't run since I've been at AdNews. I think it just got too hard to compile. Now, having gone through the process, I don't disagree. But I think it's an important list, and I’m glad we’ve revived it.
The very process of ranking 50 people, means there are countless names left off the list. So, right now, I'm either in the good books or the bad books with everyone in the industry.
When compiling this list the internal debates were long and difficult. We debated about what it was we were truly compiling. What is power and what does it mean? It is one of those intangible forces, difficult to define but largely irrefutable.
According to Peter Parker’s uncle Ben, with great power comes great responsibility. But there's also a responsibility in creating this list. We take it seriously and stand by it – but we’re also looking forward to the debate and inevitable disagreement it causes.
When we invited readers to nominate individuals for the list earlier this year, we also asked for definitions of what power means. They were insightful and broad.
Some of the most memorable submissions offered that power is “the ability to forgo fear and work unencumbered towards a dream,” or “the ability to influence and direct the behaviour of others”.
Power was described as a privilege, the ability to make a difference, create change, shape thinking, lead by example and inspire others. All of these helped us shape the list.
But among the varied definitions of power, there was one common thread; influence. Power is inextricably linked with influence and that was the basis of our definition. Whether that is influence over business, brands, budget, creativity, people, culture or any other aspect of the media, marketing and advertising world.
We're revealing the Top 10 online today, but the full Power 50 List, ranked in order and with a mini-profile of each individual, will only appear in print in the November issue. If you subscribe - it will be arriving this week. Or you can sign up to a digital subscription and get it now. Single issues can be downloaded for $4.49.
Tell us what you think in the comments. And if you didn't make it on the list – there's always next year.