Thought Leaders - guest commentary from our community of industry leaders
Professional ghosting: A haunted tale
The pitch process is hard enough, and like dating, it can be fraught with issues.
A call for adland to be braver: Fear stifles progress
If you're wondering whether we've gotten there... the answer is a hard 'no.'
I sold my agency to a consultancy three years ago... Here's what happened
Heat CEO John Elder gives an inside scoop about being acquired by Deloitte Digital, as well as some advice for shops thinking about selling to consultancies in the future.
Hello, chief storyteller: The next three jobs this industry needs
"Agencies find themselves hard-pressed to rethink their roles in the marketing ecosystem--but, just as importantly, they also need to rethink the roles within their four walls."
Entrepreneurship in the Instagram age
The principal and CEO of Zambezi on the dangers of social media's grip on women in business.
Data vs. human chemistry: It's all in the edges
"Data pushes us to the middle. Creativity lives on the edge."
How Amazon Prime Day individualized 'the Big Sales Event'
And three other key marketing takeaways.
Partnership matters now more than ever, says 4A's CEO
See what 4A's Leader Marla Kaplowitz has to say about the recent ANA study on in-housing.
Can we clone Marc Pritchard?
The "conflict of interest" pie is growing. Why do we continue to enable church and state to unite and self-report?
Why brands need to appreciate, not appropriate
"It's the role of creatives to soak up culture, and people have always borrowed from other cultures."
Citi continues gender equality push with Madonna partnership
The financial services giant is collaborating with Live Nation and Maverick on its 25th Citi Sound Vault show.
How marketers should manage their agency AFTER the pitch
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
What Instagram's meme account purge means for adland
Countless profiles were taken down overnight in a move that will cost creators millions.
BBDO taps Crystal Rix as first global marketing chief
Rix will also continue to serve as chief strategy officer of BBDO New York.
Out-of-home ads: Why new DTC and tech brands are bringing back the oldest medium
The funny thing is: OOH is often still priced like it's a sleepy relic in the past.
Agencies must improve their CX or face extinction
The only way agencies can win is if they evolve the customer experience.
Amazon is moving at drone speed, but retailers shouldn't focus on immediacy
Consistency and clarity is what customers really want.
What does it take to win a Titanium Grand Prix?
This is an "untold story that many industry leaders have endured, yet few have ever truly shared."
Brands
What is black girl magic, and why should brands care?
Brands are missing out by completely missing the point, says Lisa.
The 'un-marketing' of the Olympics and how brands can do better next time
The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang were a marketing fail, says Organic's VP of client services.
Leapfrog past the competition with purpose
What audiences say about a brand is more important than what the brand says about itself, says AHA's executive creative director.
Creativity
We're measuring experiential all wrong
The executive creative director at SET says social shares, event attendance and email sign-ups are redundant metrics.
Digital 40 over 40 celebrates diversity of thought
Experienced talent is a necessary part of the management equation for digital agencies, the says CEO & President of The ADVERTISING Club of New York.
Why investing in indie filmmakers could get your brand an Oscar
Brands can play an essential role in the dreams and successes of young filmmakers, says the VP of global client engagement at Branded Entertainment Network.
Culture
Here's how to nail authenticity in the workplace
The Starcom president recognizes the irony in his advice, having worked in an industry that once put glue in bowls of cereal to make milk look creamier.
#TimesUp isn't going anywhere anytime soon
Here's what we've learned at SXSW so far, says Cogeco Peer 1's VP and GM for the US and Latin America.
Melinda Gates reveals 'aggressive,' male-dominated life at Microsoft as she calls on all of us to redesign the workplace
We need to tear up the blueprint that created "The Old Boys' Club."
Media
Eight-year overnight ratings low for Super Bowl LII on NBC
The Big Game's ratings were down 3 percent from last year.
Expectations, or lack thereof, for the 2018 Big Game
This year's Super Bowl will see few risk-takers, says RPA's Jason Sperling.
A 'Super' experience on the old linear broadcast model
Those declaring the death of broadcast must always contend with the 100+ million viewers that flock to their TV sets every Super Bowl.
People
Why working moms shouldn't play by the rules
Pumping milk in a grim closet three times a day (maybe crying, maybe on conference calls) is a working mom's reality, says Green Stone's CXO.
A case for rebranding the older worker
The industry doesn't seem to have room for many over 40. But once we reach that milestone, invisible can't be the new normal, says Havas PR's Marian Salzman.
CES and women: It's about contribution
The conference was a very different place in one important way: I wasn't outnumbered on the showroom floor like I have been in the past, says a managing partner at Collins.
Technology
Building technology for the greater good
How innovation continues to build trust in a world of savvy consumers.
How creative storytelling can expand in a world of 1s and 0s
Google's head of creative agency development asks how we can translate the right data points into springboards for richer, more relevant creative stories.
5 emerging tech trends at SXSW that will shape 2018
Blockchain, bio-hacking and AR are just a few chewy topics adland is tackling this year.
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