Rachel Mercer Still Thinks Like a Designer

I was blown away by this talk with the fantastic Rachel Mercer of RGA. Like many of us in strategy, Rachel came from a different discipline; in her case, design. She discusses what she learned in design that she brought forward in her strategy work and some of the bigger lessons she’s learned and taught.*NOTE: Some joking comments Rachel made at the end of this episode about the change to English planning spurred the topic for the next episode of The Strategy Inside Everything with our guest Gareth Kay of Chapter. Tune in to hear the spiritual sequel that was recorded the next day.*

Eric S. Thomas: We are Killing Our Creative People

Eric Thomas, Senior Partner at Detroit’s Saga MKTG, posted a thought to LinkedIn that we were killing our creative people. Though he and Adam had never met, Eric agreed to come on the podcast and discuss this issue. His perspective on the ever-tightening timelines and expectations placed on creative people and knowledge workers is stunning. Enjoy this conversation.

Jay Baer: Talk Triggers

Jay Baer has been figuring out how to get people talking about brands for a long time. His book Talk Triggers dives deep into the psychology of what makes brands and products worth talking about and what makes people actually talk – and not just take note. This is a fun chat with an interesting guest. Also, Jay admits that host Adam Pierno is his-and we quote- “inspiration.”

Tim Leake Has Changed Everything

Former Creative Director has made a lot of changes as the industry has changed around him. He’s now the Chief Marketing Officer at RPA in LA – working with a new perspective. Tim and Adam sat down for a chat about how the ad world has changed since they both got started and what lessons Tim has learned about strategy. Enjoy!

Melanie Deziel Has Got a Story for You

Melanie Deziel, Founder of StoryFuel talks about her training in journalism and how she uses the tenets she learned in J school to solve problems for brands. She’s seen the change in media first hand, and come from the ever-shrinking newsrooms with some insights. Listen here: https://specific.substack.com/p/melanie-deziel-has-got-a-story-for-61c?r=n6j6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy  

Richard Shotton and The Choice Factory

We were lucky enough to catch Richard Shotton just before his fantastic book The Choice Factory won BBH’s World Cup of Advertising Books (well deserved, though I was pulling for Decoded). He’s got so much information that our talk moves all over the board as it relates to decision making – but we sink our teeth into the pratfall effect and how we see it playing out in every day life; well beyond advertising.

Kit Krugman Builds Teams Thoughtfully

Had the great fortune to speak with Kit Krugman, Chief Curator at co:collective and President and Chair of the Board at WIN: Women in Innovation (hat tip to Brian Dell for the intro). Kit walks me through how recruiting and team building has changed and how to build an organization with diversity and balance built into its core. Used the opportunities to take a lesson for future recruiting for guests on the show and talent at Santy. This is one of the best conversations I’ve had hosting this show.

Tom Goodwin Didn’t Want to Write a Book

What if you were asked to write a book and genuinely had no intention to do so? As we discuss Tom’s approach to the giant task of writing a book, you’ll quickly learn that he has little to no filter, which makes his book a must read. Adam and Tom share insight on creativity and on getting things done. We had an absolutely delightful conversation with Zenith Head of Innovation Tom Goodwin.

Eaon Pritchard – Psychology Hasn’t Changed

UM Head of Strategy, and author Eaon Pritchard discusses applied evolutionary psychology with Adam. How does everything come back to a basic desire or fear humans have always felt. Fun to learn about Eaon’s unique pathway to strategy from life as a DJ. Eaon’s also written a wonderful book called Where Did It All Go Wrong that we discuss a bit.