Musings about work, marketing and creativity
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So, You Want to Be a Creative Director. Here’s What That Means in 2025
By Lori Llorente Waters Leadership in the creative world isn’t what it used to be — thank goodness. If you’ve been in the biz a while, you may remember when sharing ideas meant sweaty palms, little sleep, and the sheer terror of presenting to a creative director who seemed to enjoy making you squirm. You’d…
The Visibility Gap: How Image Coaching Elevates Executive Presence in Marketing and Creative Industries
By Eileen Nebhut As marketing and creative professionals, you are often celebrated for your innovative ideas, strategic thinking, and artistic flair. Yet, despite your talents, many of you find yourselves grappling with less tangible but equally critical challenges that have to do with ‘executive presence’ (EP). This elusive set of behaviors—encompassing gravitas, communication, and image—can…
Marketing Leaders Must Keep Learning—Or Become Irrelevant
By William Koleszar, Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Care and Senior Research Fellow at The CMO Institute When the Playbook Falls Behind the Pace of Change The marketing function is undergoing its most rapid transformation in history. Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, hyper-personalization, and automation are reshaping not only how we reach customers but how…
The Power of Community
By Katy Griggs I serve on the board for IABC Atlanta (International Association of Business Communicators, Atlanta chapter), and in my role, I regularly engage with corporate communications and marketing professionals to understand their challenges and what’s top of mind. Two major, ongoing trends are shaping our industry today: a rapidly changing marketplace and increasing…
The Evolution of Creative Teams: Why Cross-Functional Talent is the Future
By Kelli Kelley As a creative professional who has witnessed the evolution of brand marketing over two decades – from traditional media outreach to digital analytics – I’m fascinated by how our industry continues to transform. The creative landscape today demands a new kind of talent. Where designers once focused solely on aesthetics and developers…
Digital Marketing: Fast Path to Failure
By Tania Garcia In the ever-changing, oft-debated role, scope, and influence of Marketing on a business’s bottom line, there are a handful of immutable truths – at least for those of us who live within the discipline. Yes, there are more – many more; but for the sake of limited space for the musings of…
What Brand Strategy Can Learn from Innovation Strategy
By David Yeend Ask six people what “strategy” is, you’ll get six different answers. But two well-established disciplines operate quite differently: Brand strategy practiced by ad agencies, and innovation strategy practiced by digital consultancies. With thirty years of experience across both sides, I’ve noticed some big differences. Brand strategists can steal some super-effective processes from…
Unfiltered and Unrivaled: Reddit as Your Marketing Strategy Lab
By Eric Sharpe The fear and anxiety of being dropped off at a mall by your parents is nothing compared to your first Reddit post. As a brand, you will be judged. It will be public. And it could be painful. But if you can figure out how to walk the walk and talk the…
Supercharge Your Creative AND Analytical Workflows with AI
By Alfredo Narez You have ambitious goals – driving results for your business and achieving your individual career aspirations in marketing or a related creative field. The problem? There never seems to be enough time to tackle it all. Between demanding workloads, rapidly changing trends, and the sheer volume of data to be analyzed, finding…
5 Powerful Reasons Typography Matters in Today’s AI-Generated World
by Cassie Hanuscak Artificial intelligence is accelerating, transforming our world with a shift more significant than the birth of the internet had on a single generation. AI just may surpass the evolution that came from electricity itself. The reality is that AI can now handle many tasks faster and more cost-effectively than humans. It’s a…