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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.

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

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 water. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.