Why Rick Astley is never gonna give up snacks or drums
The 80s pop star takes a break from shooting a Frito-Lay commercial to discuss the music industry, becoming a meme, and what he's been up to during the pandemic.
Dec 16, 2020•40 min•Ep. 161
Ad Age Ad Lib
Ad Lib features unscripted conversations with some of the biggest personalities in media and marketing, speaking off the cuff with Ad Age editors and reporters. The goal here is to do away with spin and jargon, and get to know some of the more influential and innovative people in this space — and understand the humans behind the titles.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
How The Lincoln Project’s endless stream of viral ads were actually made (in record time)
Ben Howe of Howe Creative, one of The Lincoln Project’s key video collaborators, on the making of ‘Mourning in America’—and what it takes to go viral
Dec 11, 2020•41 min•Ep. 160
Behind Hendrick's Gin's quirky ad approach
On this week's episode of Ad Lib, E.J. Schultz is joined by Harvey Purchese, senior VP of marketing at liquor marketer William Grant & Sons. We get behind Hendrick's quirky ad approach, which has included stunts like the " Hendrick’s High Wheel,” a decidedly old-fashioned exercise bike. It's part of the brand’s Luddite marketing shtick, which has included the Horatio, a “somewhat smart” speaker and the Hendrick’s Streaming Service, which consists of videos of actual streams— yes, running wat...
Dec 03, 2020•30 min•Ep. 158
Behind Calm's unexpected Election Night win
In this week's episode Ad Age's Jeanine Poggi is joined by Katie Shill, senior director of brand marketing at Calm. The meditation app won election night with its sponsorship of CNN’s “Key Race” alerts, encouraging viewers to take a break and find a moment of calm. Shill discusses how the sponsorship came together, results of the buy and how the meditation company plans to sustain the momentum moving into 2021.
Nov 24, 2020•29 min•Ep. 157
How Activision Blizzard found success amid a global pandemic
On this week's episode of Ad Age Ad Lib, senior editor Jeanine Poggi speaks with Brandon Snow, senior VP, chief revenue officer, esports, Activision Blizzard. Pandemic lockdowns were a boon for esports, with viewers flocking to gaming as other live sports and entertainment were shut down. Activision Blizzard was one of the benefactors of the pandemic, garnering impressive momentum around its leagues, including the inaugural season of the Call of Duty league.
Nov 19, 2020•33 min•Ep. 156
How streaming news channels made their mark in the 2020 election
On this week's episode of Ad Age Ad Lib, senior editor Jeanine Poggi speaks with Christy Tanner, executive VP and general manager of CBS News Digital, and Elaine Quijano, anchor, CBSN, about the state of the streaming news marketplace.
Nov 12, 2020•22 min•Ep. 155
How to not miss the mark in multicultural marketing
Senior editor Jeanine Poggi and agency reporter Lindsay Rittenhouse, speak with industry leaders Jill Kelly, U.S. chief marketing officer, GroupM, Kimberly Paige, exec VP and chief marketing officer, BET Networks, Soon Mee Kim, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and executive VP at Omnicom Public Relations Group, and Tiffany Edwards, global head of diversity and inclusion, Droga5, on how to move multicultural marketing beyond a check box.
Nov 04, 2020•44 min•Ep. 154
The state of the CMO
Lisa Mann, a former CPG marketer who recently joined an executive search firm, joins to discuss CMO hiring trends and look at how the role is changing—in some cases for the worse.
Oct 01, 2020•31 min•Ep. 152
How a microbe from Yellowstone could shake up the food industry
When Karuna Rawal got a call from a recruiter about a marketing gig at a startup using a microbe to make protein-packed, animal-free food, she was intrigued. The lifelong vegetarian joined the company, now called Nature's Fynd, as its chief marketing officer and first marketing hire. Now, she and her Chicago-based team are just starting to get the company's name out in the world while preparing to launch its first products next year.
Sep 24, 2020•29 min•Ep. 151
LinkedIn’s head of global sales on the early pandemic ad panic
Ad Age spoke with Penry Price, LinkedIn’s VP of global sales, to understand how the site managed through the crises that have hit all industries. The pandemic affected digital advertising as sectors like travel pulled back on spending while other industries pulled ads temporarily to make them more appropriate for the national mood.
Sep 10, 2020•33 min•Ep. 150
Omnicom Media Group CEO on how covid has changed the ad landscape
In a time period when there seems to be little cause for optimism, Ad Age spoke with Omnicom Media Group CEO Scott Hagedorn on where he sees bright spots starting to emerge within his agency and the industry overall.
Aug 27, 2020•27 min•Ep. 149
Marketing a Mexican import
Oscar Martinez, Senior Brand Director of Tecate, joins the pod to talk about the brand’s marketing overhaul, which includes a move away from boxing and into music. We break down the brew’s “Mexico is in US” campaign that emphasizes the brand’s border-town heritage while seeking to appeal to drinkers who are unapologetically Mexican-American.
Aug 20, 2020•38 min•Ep. 149
Main Street One CEO Curtis Hougland on the launch of a senior political influencer network
Curtis Hougland, the founder and CEO of communications and strategy shop Main Street One, explains the social and political science behind voter/consumer persuasion, and why the time is right for campaigns and brands to leverage older (55+) influencers.
Aug 14, 2020•32 min•Ep. 148
Defeating D.C. Council's ad and personal information tax
4A's Executive VP of Government Relations Alison Pepper discusses how she and other industry organizations fought a 3 percent tax on advertising services and the sale of “personal information" proposed by The Washington, D.C. City Council as part of a plan to combat a growing budget deficit, and won. She says the fight isn't over though.
Aug 06, 2020•28 min•Ep. 147
Moving from CMO to CEO
Pernod Ricard North America CEO Ann Mukherjee describes why the liquor marketer will resume social media spending after pausing it in July. The longtime marketer also describes what it’s like moving into the CEO job, and she explains her leadership style, which involves bringing your personal experiences to the job.
Jul 30, 2020•33 min•Ep. 145
Marketing the (delayed) Olympics
Christopher Carroll, director of digital engagement and marketing for the International Olympic Committee, joins the pod to talk about how the IOC is going about plugging the Tokyo games, which were delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
Jul 23, 2020•33 min•Ep. 144
The latest ad law news
Ad lawyer Linda Goldstein joins to discuss what brands need to know about sponsorship contract changes during COVID-19, new ‘Made in the USA,’ ad regulations and what to expect at the FTC if Democrats take over. Plus, she explains how ad lawyers can co-exist with creatives.
Jul 16, 2020•36 min•Ep. 143
Mark Robinson
The author of “Black on Madison Avenue” talks about what it was like getting a job in advertising 40 years ago and how much the industry has failed to change since that time.
Jul 10, 2020•51 min•Ep. 142
Taking Latin-inspired creative to the mainstream
Former LatinWorks chief creative Sergio Alcocer joins to talk about his 3-year-old cultural marketing shop Rest of the World and give his take on how brands and agencies should respond to new calls for diversity. He weighs in on other topics, like his love of jazz music and how he would rebrand the Catholic Church.
Jul 02, 2020•40 min•Ep. 141
Publicis CMO Justin Billingsley on the Power of One and what his client-side past brings to his new role
Justin Billingsley has one hell of a Lego set. Publicis Groupe’s first global chief marketing officer used the famed building blocks in an analogy during the Ad Age Ad Lib podcast to explain how the holding company’s Power of One works for clients. Billingsley said that for client Mercedes-Benz the company constructed a shop, Publicis Emil, composed of 650 people in 39 countries customized specifically to the automaker’s needs.
Jun 25, 2020•42 min•Ep. 140
Behind the AP’s new marketing push
Julie Tucker, global marketing director for the Associated Press, on the news wire service’s new marketing and what separates it from the ‘Truth’ campaign she oversaw at The New York Times. We also discuss newsroom diversity and how the AP is preparing for the 2020 election. Plus, Tucker explains why she left agency life behind.
Jun 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 139
There’s no mistaking Leeann Leahy
Portland Maine’s Via agency CEO talks about the moral renaissance, directing a commercial with Jim Perdue via iPhone, her Catholic school education and the disco ball in her home.
Jun 11, 2020•39 min•Ep. 138
Auto marketing during the pandemic
Allyson Witherspoon, VP of marketing communications and media at Nissan North America, on how the automaker responded in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak and what it is doing now to restore buyer confidence. She also weighs in on online car-buying and why she thinks it’s here to stay. Plus, she shares management tips she learned while working in Japan.
Jun 04, 2020•35 min•Ep. 137
The pandemic paradox
Anush Prabhu, chief strategy officer at Mediacom, talks about the new—and often contrasting—behaviors that have come about since COVID, and how smart marketers should navigate them as the world opens up.
May 28, 2020•37 min•Ep. 136
Marketing cannabis during the pandemic
Greg Butler, chief commercial officer at Cresco Labs, explains how the cannabis firm has pivoted during COVID-19, which has forced the firm to rely more on digital and less on retail and experiential activations that had been critical components of cannabis marketing. The former Molson Coors marketer also discusses Cresco’s strategy on taking a brand portfolio approach with each offering geared for a specific set of consumers.
May 22, 2020•43 min•Ep. 135
Finding creative inspiration in a pandemic
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners’ Chief Creative Officer Margaret Johnson explains how the agency has created more than 30 campaigns for 80 percent of its clients remotely--and how working from home has opened up new avenues of inspiration.
May 15, 2020•38 min•Ep. 134
Behind the e-commerce surge
Longtime agency exec Sarah Hofstetter joins to talk about her new role as president of e-commerce analytics firm Profitero, which serves more than 4,000 clients. We discuss the coronavirus-induced e-commerce surge and whether or not it’s sustainable. She also talks about her career journey and why she took this job after previous stints at 360i and Comscore. And, Sarah shares some personal tips on how to stay calm during the pandemic.
May 05, 2020•33 min•Ep. 133
Brian Braiker, former editor, Ad Age
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.
Apr 20, 2020•48 min•Ep. 132
Jason DeLand, founding partner, Anomaly
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...
Apr 08, 2020•39 min•Ep. 131
Nick Kokonas, author and restaurateur
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.
Apr 02, 2020•26 min•Ep. 130
Hosted on Libsyn
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android