Modern Advice from Century Old Series
This past fall’s Advertising and Marketing Series celebrated a century of programming. Born out of fulfilling an educational need for soldiers coming back from World War I, The ADVERTISING Club of New York took it upon them to offer professional services that would lead to employment in the relatively new professional industry of communications.
Today the roots of the program remain strong providing the only series offering an intimate exchange between industry experts and young professionals. 2016 program speakers ranged from traditional agencies to ad tech platforms and social influencer consultants. The range of experience and expertise allowed for diverse takeaways, below we share a few.
What is a publication, book or podcast that you recommend those new to the industry to check out?
Tech news from Silicon Valley is where I look for inspiration. Tech culture breaks all the rules. So it’s a way of looking at things as “what can we re-learn today? What is actually a rule?” — Adam Berger, Global Strategy Lead, Meta Creative Shop Studio
‘The Art of the Sale’ by Philip Delves Broughton, podcast The Speakeasy,
‘The Sun Also Rises’ or really anything from the best copywriter that never was. — Brandon Fowler, EVP, Worldwide Senior Director of BBDO Worldwide
REDEF is the single must-read source about culture, technology, and entertainment. It is not to be missed! — Mitchell Reichgut, CEO, Jun Group
What is one piece of advice on how to navigate your career?
Find your why. Spend a significant time finding out what you care about and then align everything you do with that. Everything will fall into place if you find your ‘why’. — Afdhel Aziz, Director, Absolut Labs & Author of Good Is The New Cool
The best piece of advice I received came from an old lady on the subway. She said, “Starting a company, huh? Well, everything you need to succeed can be summed up in two words.” I asked her what they were and she said, “Don’t stop.” I’ve learned since then how right she was—and also how hard that advice can be to follow. The temptation to quit or dropout can be overwhelming. Success comes through failure in the form of mistakes, embarrassment, humiliation, betrayal, disappointment, regret, angst, financial pain, and ruined relationships. Any one of those things can be enough to derail you. Those who stumble ahead find themselves in great places, maybe miles from the imagined destination and great nonetheless. — Mitchell Reichgut, CEO, Jun Group
Something that has resonated with me is that you can always change, you can always divert if you’re not on the right path. If something doesn’t feel right, change it. We often forget we have the ability to completely change our lives. My advice is to go forward with that feeling and make the change. — Bobby Jones, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Peace First & Author of Good Is The New Cool
Regarding communication, keep it simple. Don’t make things overly complicated. Explain things like you’re talking to your mom and dad. — Brandon Fowler, EVP, Worldwide Senior Director of BBDO Worldwide
My personal advice is ‘build something once’. Whatever you build should be applicable to all parties no matter what it is. This cuts down on time and means it’s a great product. Something else that guides me is this idea of non-goals. A non-goal is the “it would be great to get to but if we don’t, other things will be that much better.” What’s not working? Kill it. This is hugely helpful in prioritizing your time and goals. — Adam Berger, Global Strategy Lead, Meta Creative Shop Studio