Listen Now

My mentor, Dr Neil Postman, founder of media ecology and a student of Marshall McLuhan, wrote in 1982 that our reliance on data causes us to stop thinking. We activate thinking through ideas and education. I add to Dr. Postman’s equation workforce diversity. In the next few days and weeks, every time you hear or read the word data, ask yourself ‘what is the idea behind the data?’ How is it adding to your knowledge and the knowledge of your colleagues, clients and stakeholders?  You’ll learn my answers and how you can ask the right questions in my new 3-minute ThinkTank, Data vs. Ideas: Is it a Competition? Also listen to my recent 3-minute ThinkTank, Battle for the Soul of Media.

In this week’s 3-minute ThinkTank podcast I share a very personal story about the battle for the soul of the media industry. The core of media -- the soul of media – always has been and always should be defined by quality content, truthful and trusted journalism, and service in support of the public interest. Real media companies set a high standard and should not be forced to lower these standards to compete with those that have hardly any standards at all. Listen to my three-minute battle for the soul of our business in which I ask you to take a stand and not be silent.

Today’s Jack Myers Think Tank asks if you’re among the 70% of professionals who don’t have the time or resources to prepare for meetings. How can you be the smartest person in the Zoom? Jack reports on a new AI-based vertical search engine featuring more than 100 curated resources and more than 15,000 original and exclusive educational reports, thought leadership and commentaries, all focused on marketing, advertising and media. You’ll learn all about it in this 90-second Jack Myers ThinkTank. Link, listen and learn.

Fellow marketing, advertising and media professionals, lend me your ears for 3-minutes to tell you a story about growth and new tools for advancing team education and diversity available from MediaVillage. Join me for my new Jack Myers Think Tank podcast. Link, listen and learn.

If we've learned anything from Trump's campaign and presidency it's that politics, government, and public discourse have become, first and foremost, show business. The high road — filled with better ideas, serious issues, and relevant priorities — pales by comparison to a powerful and compelling media presence. It's a historical, philosophical, and political mistake to believe that ideas and issues alone will win this election.

In the COVID-19 era, with radically new hiring practices being appropriately influenced by Black Lives Matter and new gender norms, how can you prepare as you look at your own future and the opportunities you're considering? In this MediaVillage Insider Insites podcast, Jack Myers shares five key questions you can ask and answer as you move through this time of massive change.

The competition in video goes beyond the fight for consumer attention; every video provider is looking to land ad dollars with a one-two punch of broad but targeted reach matched with business outcomes via addressability or attribution. A+E Networks has dubbed their delivery of both as “Precision and Performance", or as SVP of ad sales Ethan Heftman calls it: "a fancy way of describing a group of people across ad sales, research, and client insights that specialize in moving the business away from Nielsen age and gender trading into more advanced audience targeting and audience trading.” In a fast-paced podcast conversation with E.B. Moss, Heftman provided more definitions and diligently explained their differences and just how their first-to-market guarantees of select outcomes works. We started with "attribution."  “For us, attribution is the exercise in tying a media exposure on A+E Networks to a specific business outcome. It’s going beyond simply the discussion of what type of media metric we delivered -- the delivery of an impression -- and moving on to what type of action or behavior that impression caused. Is it fueling a behavior at the top, or awareness area, of the funnel, the middle (consideration), ...or at the bottom of the funnel, a sales or specific outcome type of area?” Historically, Heftman notes, “television hasn't been properly credited with outcomes in the consideration segment of the funnel or in the real action area -- driving a web visit, driving a store visit, driving a specific sale.” But A+E is out to show how Precision and Performance  impacts outcomes in each of those three areas, versus just the expected top of funnel. Guaranteed. To a degree. Listen to the complete episode to hear what they're willing to go to the mat for, and learn from Heftman  just how television can stay in the ring.    

What better way to wrap up a year of insights than on Thanksgiving? It might sound like a cliché but we at MediaVillage, and me personally, E.B. Moss, are really thankful for everyone who listens and reads our content. A big focus at MediaVillage is on educating the marketplace in such a fast-evolving industry as media and marketing. There’s a LOT of info out there and things are constantly changing. So apropos Thanksgiving, I hope this podcast has been a good way for you to digest some of that info! Some look-back episodes use clips, but while I started out years ago in local radio splicing audio together with tape, I leave the digital editing to either the folks at Hangar Studios in New York, or with the amazingly patient and talented Eric Klein as my main editor. So a THANK you on this thanksgiving to them and apologies this is just a spontaneous episode without fancy editing, but I wanted to spotlight a few sample episodes, ICYMI.  Starting with one that's also apropos Thanksgiving maybe catch the most, episode 49 with Julie Haddon and Jen Kavanagh, two women powering NFL and Philadelphia Eagles marketing respectively.  I also recommend you check out some of the other powerful players I've had the good fortune to speak with: from Bozoma Saint John to Sir Martin Sorrell! I'm not just name dropping; everyone has really contributed to a great season of InSites. Two of the most popular episodes were with CMOs launching new brands at big companies: Kirk McDonald on kicking off ATT's Xandr division, and Minjae Ormes who braved the rain to pop into a noisy restaurant for a very spontaneous interview about Verizon's new disruptor, Visible. And Joseph Jaffe was on hand for Epi 48 to warn other big companies about how to pivot or face demise.  The list goes on -- from Paul Marobella of Havas NA, to Alicia Tillman of SAP. And great fun to pull in my smart coworkers, like Jeff Minsky and Charlene Weisler when it came to speaking research with the wonks of Omnicom or Starcom. Now here's a bit of news: Insider InSites is taking a little break for the holidays. Didn't want to leave you without a word, or 5000. I might squeeze out one more episode in December, but otherwise look for it to return in January. But, and Minsky would say, "that's not all!"  You can still hear more -- and more of me, E.B. Moss.  If you haven't heard it yet, please do yourself a favor and catch all episodes of MediaVillage's Advancing Diversity podcast, which I co-host with our editor, Ginger Conlon. This features the conversations with the people doing the most to actively impact the amount of diversity and inclusion in our industry. Think: Tony Rogers of Sam's Club to Tiffany R. Warren of Omnicom, Jill Baskin of The Hershey Company and so on! And consider coming to meet them all during CES as they are inducted in the D&I Hall of Honors.  I'm also a contributor on the new podcast from Podcast Movement, Sessions, launching next week -- with good advice from a lot of folks on building a podcast business. Speaking of which, I am finally launching my own PERSONAL podcast. You heard it hear first... or you will if you look for "It's Quite A Living" Podcast, coming late December. You can stay tuned by following on Twitter or IG @QuiteALiving. I'll speak to my friends in high places, with conversations on personal paths and professional success...authors, to movie stars!  And finally, a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who has listened, liked, appreciated these podcasts. It's a joy. I thank you for sharing, and send you best wishes for a holiday season filled with warmth, love and InSites. E.B. Moss  

Fun facts: Julie Haddon, NFL’s senior vice president of Global Brand & Consumer Marketing, pitched Little League well before other girls ever played...and went on to pitch audiences on films like Shrek for DreamWorks, early stage Twitter and financial disruptor, SoFi. And Jen Kavanagh, senior vice president, marketing and media for the Philadelphia Eagles used to “fly” for her teen swim club well before her current Philly special job marketing the NFL club’s mantra, “Fly, Eagles, Fly.” Hear how these two women explain their up and out routes to football – and how they’re advancing the League and the club, respectively. In Episode 49 of Insider InSites these seasoned marketers tell E.B. Moss of MediaVillage how they promote pro players to pro-diversity initiatives, using everything from podcasts to TikTok, films to mobile apps. 

Joe is Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of RPA, where he has worked since the agency launched as Rubin Postaer 30-plus years ago.  They have also been the agency of record for Honda for almost that entire time and helped make the simple Farmers Insurance "We Are Farmers" jingle a bit of an earworm.  In addition to discussing those and some more serious examples of their award-winning ads and heart-wrenching PSAs, Joe shared some of the insights he's gained over three decades at the same shop. This one stays fresh as good content will always hold up! You can catch all of our Insider InSites podcasts on MediaVillage.com.  

Corporate survival planner, serial entrepreneur, 5-time author - including the recently released “Built To Suck” - Joseph Jaffe is one of the most sought-after consultants, speakers and thought leaders on innovation, marketing, new & social media. In this episode of Insider InSites from MediaVillage, Jaffe describes the four reasons for the potential corporate apocalypse: company size and age, being a public corporation, and company culture. In a free-flowing conversation, you’ll also hear his thoughts on what he believes is the biggest fundamental change in all of marketing recently, the Jaffe version of the “three Ps” for today’s evolving environment, and why he has no tolerance for those “discovering” instead of RE-discovering their brand purpose.

Peter Morris sounds tall. At least that’s what the CEO of PodcastOne, a leading ad-supported podcast network, would like listeners to picture in their minds, as he kidded around with me between serious pod-pitching. Morris, clearly a fan of the network that claims over 300 podcasts, touted the hosts and popular influencers, celebrities, and powerful voices they represent. (The biggest example might be Adam Carolla, who with one of the earliest entries in the space since carving out an on-demand audio niche post on-air radio career -- has the most downloaded podcast in history, according to Guinness Book of World Records.) Morris can drop names like Shaq to Steve Austin, Kaitlyn Bristowe to Tip "T.I." Harris but delves into meat and potatoes of the podcast business around the Super Listener study PodcastOne just completed with Edison Research and released the day of our conversation, during the recent IAB Podcast Upfront. In one description of the study he presented with Edison SVP, Tom Webster, Morris says it was "based on anybody listening for five or more hours of podcasts a week...who have adopted this consumer habit and made it part of their daily ritual. Podcasting speaks to them ... These are the people [who] care about this medium the most. …They're the canaries in the coal mine; ...indicators of broader trends we're going to see. And they're growing [partly because] people are really conscious of the value of time, especially time alone. So, there's been a slowdown of people who will mindlessly press play and zone out to music on their commute or working out." He also explains the synergies PodcastOne has with another Hubbard investment, sister company Reelz, the television network: "They've been an incredible partner…We started working with them on Murder Made Me Famous, and we're now in our second season. The first season was downloaded over 6 million times. Due to that success they've brought over nine other series with them. You take Autopsy or Cold Case Files, which we do as well in a partnership with A&E - it's a phenomenal way to take engaging, invigorating content and combine it in a way that it works for this medium with an intensity that you don't get anywhere else.... If you're asking me the audio version of the show is even scarier."

Dan Rayburn just finished overseeing another Streaming Summit held at the NAB Show New York. He's also considered one of the foremost authorities on streaming media technology and online video business models while simultaneously working as the principal analyst at research and consulting firm, Frost and Sullivan, and publishing market data analysis on streaming media and tech trends or frequently serving as an expert source on that topic in everything from the New York Times, CNN, Fortune and NPR. Did I mention he’s former United States Air Force and Air National Guard, spends many hours a month supporting fellow veterans...and is the first to admit he accomplished that without a college degree? After my recent interview with him for the NAB Show podcast I had to keep the conversation going for Insider InSites. You'll want to listen to it all as we discuss:  His launching pad from the Air Force to Apple as a systems engineer; How, when the internet was just starting, he raised $75 000 to co-found a live-streaming company (and what happened in the dot-com bubble burst...and beyond); His thoughts on the longevity or the sustainability of the streaming industry today...and where the growth could be; How does an Acorn TV, or other niche services, grow to be mighty? How do we solve for the user experience - from search and discovery to differentiation, to the overwhelm aspect of terminology? Basically, how do we streamline that in streaming? Will aggregation be the answer? How Rayburn uses his tech know-how to also solve for the veteran question of: “Okay, where do you want to go once you get out?”

“Experience marketing” is a key tactic these days, especially for marketers seeking to appeal to the millennial and Gen Z target. Pandora has been an enabler of high profile experiences via “Pandora Live” which offers sponsors ways to deliver customers up close and personal access to high wattage musicians. After participating as one of a group of advertisers at recent Country concerts, Ashley Homestore went the custom route to be able to build out an exclusive experience to promote the launch of new furniture line, “Urbanology.” With Pandora pulling the concert strings with multi-award-winning artist, Ne-Yo, Ashley tricked out Goya Studios in Hollywood with an engaging and hands-on experience for 1000 fans. The retailer recreated home environments using the new mid-century modern style line that is “retro cool” to that target audience now. Stationed between fresh donuts in the “kitchen” to also "retro-cool" Air Guitar challenges in the “den”, well-known DJ Jerzy spun songs at the pre-show while influencers like the Stauffer twins bounced on the bed in the “bedroom” and Bachelorettes and others milled around striking poses with press and fans.  Senior marketing director, Kelly Davis, described the goals for this huge launch event, how they selected Ne-Yo to align with, and how Ashley continues to give back.

Since I interviewed the CMO of The Clorox Company at last year's ANA Masters of Marketing conference - who was since promoted to EVP, I thought it would be interesting to speak with the new chief marketing officer of The Clorox Company – who happens to be a woman – to get an update. But, this year’s conference actually drew quite a few female senior marketers, both speaking and attending. So I grabbed the opportunity to make this episode of Insider InSites a curation of three great leaders across tech, media, and CPG, who happen to be female chief marketing officers. Each are impressive in their own right, with tremendous takeaways to share, but the added layer they offered was advice on how to achieve these heights, reminiscent of the Ginger Rogers versus Fred Astaire line: practically backwards and, sometimes, in heels. In this one podcast you’ll first hear from SAP’s Alicia Tillman, cited by Forbes in 2019 as the world’s 14th most influential chief marketing officer – and markets what is the largest software enterprise company in the world. In my last episode of Insider InSites, Sir Martin Sorrell included SAP among the tech companies one should watch and study. Next, our Clorox Company legend for this year, Stacey Grier, who oversees far ranging brands for the CPG giant - Burt's Bees to the famous bleach itself. And finally, Alysia Borsa, who upped the ante as CDMO (chief marketing and data officer), speaking on the marriage of data and marketing for Meredith Corporation. Don't miss their thoughts on data driven creativity, brand purpose, and achieving career success...as women.  

When you find out you’re getting the chance to interview one of the, arguably, best known people in the ad industry you want a little time to prepare, to study, and in some cases, pray. I learned a couple of hours in advance that I’d be speaking with Sir Martin Sorrell before one of his myriad panels at Advertising Week. As you listen to this podcast episode – and if you know anything about him – you’ll realize I needn’t have worried. The man who built the world's largest advertising and marketing services holding company had plenty to say, and to say in his usual no-holds-barred way. From the mind of the man who defined the modern media agency business, and who has not been spared either praise or criticism for his actions or comments, are opinions on everything from the “holy trinity” for media today and the other principles he’s set for his new(ish) venture, S4 Capital, to what he looks for in a company they might acquire...to what his mother would think of his ongoing drive for dominance in the world of digital media. We also discuss: how data helps vs hinders creativity what’s behind his strong projections for S4 Capital and its expansion in and beyond Asia Pacific (“we have a good positioning there already, but we need to build scale. We have to figure out what our model is going to be in China and in India. I think the model will be a transparent one. I think that's where the existing agencies are vulnerable.”) perceptions on the issues with holding companies today (“I'm not interested in the traditional business. I think it's a sort of zero-sum game at the moment.”) attracting and retaining talent (“I think because we're a disruptive startup, that in and of itself is very appealing.”) disruptor vs disruptive companies if legacy companies or analog companies have a chance in today’s “mini-tsunami” of pitches... Finally, I had to ask why, after all he's accomplished, why not take a rest in his 70s. His answer was influenced by his parents, the Saatchis, and Gore Vidal. Hear why, on Epi 43 from MediaVillage.

Jonathan Gudai was in the process of selling his eCommerce business in 2015. He’d spent his entire career since college in online sales when he met the founders of “this Adomni thing,” who owned a bit of out-of-home inventory in the Las Vegas area. When he learned that most of the ads sold in the OOH world were done person-to-person manually, he “got really excited about the opportunity to help bring my eCommerce and online buying prowess to a medium that we all can agree is here to stay.” After all, he realized, “We're all traveling throughout the world, and there're always going to be ads.” So, Gudai dove in. In our recent conversation, he explains how, “by 2016, we had the first billboard running the Adomni software” that would help the company raise the bar for ease-of-buying and programmatic OOH across, and how, as of today, they’ve amassed over 130,000 connected screens. Gudai, who is now chief executive officer of the company that aims to democratize digital out-of-home screens to be easy and affordable, brought along Matthew Gussin for Episode 42 of Insider InSites. Gussin — also something of a media maverick — is national vice president at Amobee, an omni-channel advertising partner to Adomni, that uses data insights to identify where top performing customers actually spend time and generates bespoke campaigns per customer. Listen to the complete podcast to learn more about their joint efforts, how they’re shaking up the marketing world everywhere out-of-home, and: How Adomni’s team is reaching consumers with ways to purchase out-of-home as easily as making a restaurant reservation; How Adomni works with partners like Amobee to close the loop; How their Kylie Jenner cosmetics campaign made history; Insights on what worked/what could work again in the upcoming election season.

Hear why mcgarrybowen’s global chief strategic officer, Jennifer Zimmerman, does crossword puzzles religiously, but more importantly how hear how the Big Organizing Idea platform of the agency came about, why it's "mission critical" and how it sparked new creative for American Express and drone-dropping hotdogs for Oscar Mayer. Zimmerman, the first female executive hired by the sole creative shop among the Dentsu Aegis Network, also described their ongoing focus on diversity, how strategy is the diving board and an idea is the dive into the creative pool, and why, just like every story, every brand needs an enemy. But does she think data is the enemy of creativity? Zimmerman explains how to navigate the "natural tension between solving problems starting with data and solving problems starting with creativity." This is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand the imperative and basics of solid strategic thinking to grow a brand. And how Zimmerman came to be a shoe hound. 

What's the role of ATSC 3.0 around Advanced TV Interactivity and Addressability in an IP-enabled TV World? Wonky enough topic for you? Then listen to Jonathan Steuer (pictured right), chief research officer at Omnicom Media Group, and Jeff Minsky, Lead Analyst and Editor of MyersBizNet’s “The Myers Report,” in a conversation on that, dynamic creative, content versioning...and Steuer’s topknot. The two "wonks" have a lot in common, aside from both being recognized industry futurists and fans of the Eagles. They have each played a role in shaping Omnicom Media Group’s Advanced TV strategy. First Minsky evangelized and implemented early phase #Addressable TV and ACR Data in campaigns for clients like ToysRUs to Disney until 2015. Then Steuer took the reins and created a platform to buy #data-driven and #addressable TV, which has become an integral part of Omnicom’s cross-agency data and people platform, “Omni.” I, on the other hand, appreciate The Eagles (I assumed they were talking about the band and not the NFL team because Minsky is Cowboys all the way) but otherwise was just an interested fly on the wall during their far-ranging conversation about Omni, the future of Advanced TV, and the impact of data legislation in this Episode 40 of Insider InSites podcast. Read a more detailed transcript on MediaVillage at https://www.mediavillage.com/microsite/podcasts-from-insider-insites/#tab=latest&page=1 

Close to 3,000 people actually chose to go to Orlando in August to partake in discussions – some of which were hotter than the weather -- surrounding podcasting at Podcast Movement 2019. Attendees could choose a free lapel pin to wear -- “2 Years,” “3 Years” -- to tout their attendance anniversary. Biggest bragging rights went to those sporting a 6-Year pin, evidence of their foresight as the first to attend what’s become the largest gathering for podcasting in the country. Even as a third-year pod person (which still earned me considerable props) the exponential growth I’ve seen in those years up to this month’s event was impressive. Hear from five pundits from the crowd who are, arguably, experts in their respective specialties, to talk about podcasts' evolution and their projections for the business. I asked them each if with all this growth, “the more things change... ARE they changing” or are we still challenged by everything from measurement to diversity? First up: Donald Albright, co-founder of Tenderfoot TV which is home to true crime phenom Up and Vanished and five other high-profile podcasts that have garnered more than 400 million downloads in four short years. Then, Edison Research’s own phenomenal presenter, Tom Webster, and I discuss is it a “download” – or a “listen”? And what of those who consume their podcasts more and more via YouTube? (Both Edison and Nielsen’s Podcast Listener Buying survey show YouTube becoming a top destination for podcast discovery!) How do brands get in on this medium effectively? A little company called eBay has had success with that, as explained by content manager, Doug Smith. For the broad strokes and a futurecast, amplifi Media’s Steve Goldstein weighs in. Finally, representation of the female perspective is offered by a force for those voices, Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts. An indicator of growth in that area is the almost sold out status of their first dedicated conference, attracting content and sponsorships from major players like WarnerMedia Podcasts to PRX.