Five Questions with_ Scott Bicheno
Telecoms stories will dominate the headlines next week, as Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona. Ahead of the show, we caught up with Scott Bicheno, industry veteran and Editorial Director at Telecoms.com. Scott shared his advice for companies looking to engage media at the world’s largest telecoms trade shows, what mistakes companies make when briefing journalists, and learnings from co-hosting one of the sector’s top podcasts.
What are you most interested in at the moment? And which trends do you think are overhyped?
I’m generally drawn to the big picture more than granular detail, so I often cover macro themes such as how politics and regulation affects the industry. I’m also interested in digital civil liberties, semiconductors, and AI. The latter is obviously the most hyped topic right now, but it’s hard to say whether or not it’s excessive. Striking the right balance between AI progress and safety is critical and hype is unhelpful to that.
What advice would you give to companies looking to raise their profile around MWC?
Good luck! It’s not obvious to me why anyone would pick the busiest, most hectic time of the year to try to raise their profile as that’s when attention is most divided. Nice food and drink is a good way to entice impoverished journalists to your stand. In terms of themes, one way to stand out could be to swim against the current and offer a take that differs from the consensus.
When it comes to trade show briefings, what mistakes do you see companies making?
Try not to come over as too self-interested and put yourself in the journalist’s shoes. You may well find one of your own announcements fascinating but what’s in it for the journalist and their audience? Following up with collateral, including images, might increase the chances of the briefing being reported on.
What have you learned from doing the pod?
I like to think I’ve become a better listener but I’ll let other people be the judge of that. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that even the most superficially dry and arcane subject matter can be interesting if you’re discussing it with an expert who’s not afraid to speak plainly.
Do you have a favourite headline you’ve written and why?
Puns are always fun. I think I wrote ‘Xiaomi the money’ once. ‘BICS buys TeleSign for $230m for a fresh piece of aaS’ got a laugh or two. Other than that, anything that is concise, eye-catching, and irreverent is good.