Where Creativity Meets Strategy

Today's podcast guest is, well, me. After three wonderful, challenging, intense, stressful and exhilarating years, I’m sad to say I’m parting ways with this iconic institution. Friday was my last day. Working with the Ad Age newsroom in both good times and weird has been an honor. In a conversation with my colleagues Judy Pollack and Alfred Maskeroni, we take a look back on my time. Thank you for listening.

20 Huhti 202048min

Ad Age is working from home, just like you. As the coronavirus has become the new reality for all of us, Jason DeLand has some thoughts about the likely lasting implications of the pandemic on all aspects of life and business, from brand behavior to consumer behavior, the environment, the cannabis industry and more. There will be no "returning" to life as it was, he says. Rather this is an opportunity to bounce forward. This conversation is a recording of a live video broadcast that was streamed online last week.

8 Huhti 202038min

The U.S. restaurant industry is in a grim predicament, particularly high-end, dine-in restaurants that can't be open as the coronavirus pandemic grinds on. Chicago-based restaurant executive Nick Kokonas has helped prepared his restaurants as well as others to navigate the situation in creative ways. The moves include a shift to carryout, something that until now was unheard of for high-end eateries like his.

2 Huhti 202026min

Mira Kaddoura grew up in Beirut, where she witnessed war firsthand. With a striking head of frizzy red hair, Kaddoura learned early on how to live life as someone who stands out: The themes of inclusion, representation and the other have all colored her work. Kaddoura joins the podcast to discuss the Red & Co. ethos. The agency has partnered with Google on an initiative to teach girls to code and developed global brand strategy for Netflix and created the “Make Room” campaign to boost representation of those missing in most mass media.

13 Maalis 202034min

When Debra Lee stepped down as Chairman and CEO of BET in May of 2018, she put a cap on a 32-year run at the network. Today, we talk about her legacy—among other things, she took programming in a new direction, pivoting away from music videos and into original fare. We discuss life after BET and the media landscape today compared to three decades ago, including a look at the streaming wars. Lee also sits on a number of corporate boards and is a champion of diversity and inclusion, herself having paved the way for others like her.

5 Maalis 202046min

Taylor Lorenz covers internet culture and trends for the Gray Lady--memes, yes, but also influencers, TikTok, YouTubers and more. She has a knack for identifying zeitgeisty moments just before they break through to mainstream consciousness. Her recent headlines include a look at the Bloomberg campaign’s meme strategy, a visit to the so-called Hype House group home for LA Tok Tok influencers and more. She may be the reason you've heard the expression OK Boomer, quite possibly leveled directly at you.

27 Helmi 202037min

The founder of the world’s largest privately held media company joins us to look back on a career that flourished along with the rise of the modern media agency era. We talk about the explosion of data that digital has brought with it, and why he has chosen to rent rather than own data. We look at the streaming wars and talk about Horizon's loss of Disney as a client last year, plus where the company is growing today. Plus, a discussion of culture, talent, the pros and cons of remaining defiantly independent--and under what circumstances he'd ultimately sell.

20 Helmi 202042min

For the first decade of her career, Louisa Wong worked at pioneering digital media outlets in the U.K., starting with CNET and then Skye. Today, as the chief operating officer at Carat, Dentsu Aegis Network’s flagship media agency, Wong applies that background in media as she navigates at the intersection of tech and disruption. Here, we discuss addressable TV, data as the new currency, privacy and regulation, life in a post-cookie world, the coronavirus and more.

14 Helmi 202036min