CEO POV

Other people’s opinions on your ideas will forever be a part of this process.

That said, colleagues are not critics.

They don’t get to sit on the sideline and analyze your work from afar. They are part of the team.

Anyone on the team must be contributing thinking and ideas to the mix BEFORE they start telling you what’s wrong with yours.

If you have no ideas of your own, you forfeit your right to comment on other people’s ideas. Full stop.

Somewhere along the way our industry fell in love with optionality.  Project work has become the norm and agency reviews, annual Client reorgs and test and learn have invaded our daily lives. We basically optimize now for flexibility. But in the process, we’ve lost commitment. And we lost it at a time when most CEOs want transformational growth. The irony is that transformation doesn’t come from constantly changing direction. It comes from sticking with a point-of-view long enough for momentum to compound.

Many of the world's greatest brands weren't built project by project. P&G is sitting on a roster of billion-dollar brands because it stayed committed to them for decades! They were built through the years of consistent decision-making, anchored in insight and innovation, reinforcing the brands’ essence. Today many marketers look to change before the strategy has time to even take hold. We chase trends before consumers have formed any memory and replace campaigns before they are even noticed. The trap is mistaking motion for progress.

This is not an advertising problem. It is a leadership problem. Businesses gain momentum when leaders identify the things that deserve commitment. In a world of AI and creators where endless content and execution get cheaper by the day, experimentation takes the attention. While in reality, commitment is the most valuable tool in the toolbox. I believe the companies that will win over the next decade won’t be the ones that move the fastest. The companies that will rise to the top will know they are building something to last and will focus on the foundation. They will have the discipline to stay focused on building a fortress that will be difficult to match.

Brands don’t compound on creativity alone; they compound on commitment.

Are you choosing speed or staying power as your competitive advantage?

Success convinces our brain that we’ve found the answer. Our strategy works. Our business is growing and oh boy, what a team we have. Can the numbers look any better?  And then little by little, curiosity gets replaced by certainty. I was continuing to ponder this after my visit to Machu Picchu. The Spaniards conquered Cusco and never climbed higher. They assumed they won and that entire city sat above them unseen. They were too busy with their newfound success that they were blinded to something amazing that was in plain sight. Success convinces us we've found the answer.

So, I asked myself do we as leaders do the same? The moment we believe we’ve found the ideal formula, do we stop asking the right questions? Are we challenging assumptions and exploring new ways of doing things enough? Do we stop seeing?

Yet every breakthrough I’ve experienced in business came from questioning something everyone else accepted as fact. I don’t think the strongest leaders are the ones with the most answers. I think they are the ones who remain hungry and curious long after most people would expect them to be.

Because changes are happening at a rocket’s pace and consumer’s reactions are ever changing. Certainty has a short shelf life. The leaders who keep climbing are the ones who understand that success isn’t proof you’ve arrived. It is simply permission to continue the journey and explore what is possible. The moment you think you’ve found the mountain top is the moment you stop looking for the next one. Stay curious!

I just came back from Machu Picchu and what stayed with wasn’t the scale. It was the thoughtfulness of the Incas and how everything they built had purpose. Simple. Intentional. Powerful.

The Incas understood something we’ve lost. Each system worked with nature, not against it. The terraces weren’t there as part of a beautiful landscape. They were built for resilience.  They still however, relied on Cusco farmers for barter trade. But even extraordinary systems can become vulnerable when they depend on forces outside their control. When that system collapsed, everything went with it. That’s not only a history lesson. That’s business.

If growth relies on platforms you don’t own, partners you can’t control or momentum you didn’t build, then you’re not truly scaling. You’re exposed. And here is the part most people miss.

The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu. They took Cusco and stopped there. They optimized what was obvious. They never explored what was possible. Machu Picchu was invisible because it required effort, curiosity and deviation from the main path. And doesn’t this sound familiar? Most companies do the same thing. They chase what’s in front of them; optimizing the known and ignoring the harder path.

Meanwhile, the biggest opportunities are often hiding in plain sight. It’s usually slightly outside the map everyone else if following. Waiting for someone willing to slow down, think clearly and climb. Most leaders are so busy optimizing the valley, they never realize the advantage is still sitting on the mountain.

One thing stuck with me after my climb at Camelback Mountain. It wasn’t the difficulty of the climb or even the moment I had to stop. It was what came after.  Stopping was just a moment. What mattered was what I chose next. I could have headed back down which is what a realist would have done given the difficulty. I was dehydrated and dizzy. But, as I looked to the midway point, which was 200 feet further, I knew the next move wasn’t safe and it could go very wrong. I didn’t want to push blindly. I paused, evaluated and believed my perspective would change if I go up instead of down.  And it did.

In business, we are conditioned to move, move fast, move faster. Going from Point A to Point B is our focus when executing a plan or trying to hit the number. But here’s the problem. Most motion isn’t intentional. It’s reactive. It is our response to pressure. We climb because we’re always striving to climb higher. Not necessarily because it is still the right direction.

There is a different gear most leaders underuse. Stillness. It’s when you step back, even for the briefest moment, something shifts. You see alternative paths. You question everything. You reconnect to what actually matters. And you choose again. That is what I call Intentional Motion.

I have found that when I break the pattern and just be in that quiet moment, answers show up that never would have if I rushed to the finish line. By working through it I am able to find clarity in that space. Inevitably whatever I thought I would do typically changes.

Intentional motion isn’t slow. It’s precise. It’s the difference between moving because that what you should be doing versus moving because you weighed the choices and know exactly why you are moving. One burns energy while the other builds momentum. Anyone can keep moving. Very few have the discipline to stop, re-think and choose an uncomfortable direction.

I recently hiked Camelback Mountain. Steep. Rocky. 2704 feet. No room for error.

And I went in all wrong! Underprepared. Underhydrated. Overconfident. At 1500 feet, it hit me. Dizziness, nausea and dry heaves. I let out a sigh, looked up at the halfway point. The smart call would be start going down but ambition is a powerful voice. I knew I needed to get to the mid-point. Not the summit. Not the full win but a meaningful milestone.

So, I stopped. Re-grouped and climbed to the place where I felt in control again. And that’s where the real lesson is revealed among the glorious horizons. In business, we glorify the summit. Push harder, go faster, master everything. But great leaders know the difference between progress and recklessness. Sometimes the smartest move isn’t to power through. It’s to pause, reassess and redefine what winning looks like. Not every climb needs to be completed.

The final stretch of vertical rock climbing was high risk for me. One wrong move and I would have been out of business. And I would have traded long term momentum for a short-term victory. So, I took in the view, which was pretty damn good! I respected the mountain.  And I decided to finish strong.

That’s leadership. Knowing when to push, when to pause and having the discipline to walk away from the wrong version of success.

Winning isn’t always reaching the top. Sometimes it’s knowing exactly where to stop so you can keep climbing tomorrow.

Everyone loves the word strategy. It’s the magic bullet that fills decks, fuels workshops and shows up in presentations that make us feel smart. But here’s the uncomfortable truth.

A lot of what gets called strategy today doesn’t actually change anything. Real strategy isn’t analysis. It isn’t a framework or even smart observations.

Real strategy is an unassailable truth about your brand that changes the outcome in your favor.  It forces Clients to make decisions and create a sharper focus.  It demands trade-offs. But critically it is the driver of market change. When it is done right, the market responds.

Consumers react and their behavior shifts. Sales impact is noticeable and that’s where the momentum builds. Strategy isn’t about a discussion in a conference room. It’s a pointed articulation that proves itself in the marketplace.

Over the years, I’ve come to believe the strongest strategies share something in common. They uncover an insight that unlocks brand uniqueness. At BAM, we call that the One-Shot Answer. When you truly understand the brand, the consumer, the market, the strategy shouldn’t scatter in ten different directions. It should crystalize in the one move that changes the game.

The inspired leaders I know ask one brutally simple question when they hear a strategy: What will this change? If the answer isn’t clear, you are not there yet. You have thinking but that’s not the same thing. Strategy has impact and moves brands forward.

If it doesn’t, stop calling it strategy.

NYC just got buried. One of the heaviest snowfalls in history. Outer areas saw more than two feet. It was relentless wind and snow. Beautiful but intimidating. Standing at my front door staring at the snow building, I knew I had two options. First, stay inside and feel overwhelmed or two, start shoveling in layers. I chose layers. Every few hours, I cleared a couple of inches. Nothing dramatic. Not even heroic. Just disciplined. By the time the storm stopped, there was no 17-inch crisis waiting for me. There was steady progress.

Work is no different. When projects pile up, RFPs stack, launches overlap and opportunity keeps falling from the sky, it can feel suffocating. Too much. Too fast. But here is the reframe, an avalanche of work is abundance. It is momentum. We need to pause to appreciate that. Then we get to work.

At BAM, we have a simple discipline. Twice a week, beginning and end, we check in as a team. Not just status updates. Real progress sharing and more importantly, a moment where people look to each other and say they need support or if they feel they can handle it. Those meeting are our shovels. They keep the snow from turning into a mountain. They allow us to anticipate instead of reacting. They help us redistribute weight before it becomes stress. Layer by layer.

They also reveal something important. In heavy snowfall moments, you see who picks up the shovel. Who leans in. Who volunteers. Who protects the team’s energy. Storms clarify culture. As leaders, we cannot control when the work piles up. But we can control the system we build to manage it. Small consistent actions beat last-minute heroics. Structure beats chaos. Gratitude beats burnout. And a team that looks out for each other can move a lot of snow.

If your workload feels like 17 inches of snow right now, do not stare blankly at the whole pile. Clear two inches. Ask for help. Offer help. Then Clear Two More.

Leadership is easy when everything’s working. That’s not leadership. That’s momentum doing your job for you.

Real leadership gets exposed when the pressure cooker is on. It’s when growth slows, decisions get harder, and uncertainty walks into the room before you do. A Client is acquired (that’s happened twice!) and new owners have existing relationships, budgets for the new year are cut (because of tariffs!), a new CMO takes the helm, and the business goes to another agency – there’s always a reason for the curve ball to be tossed.

So, here’s the uncomfortable truth. When things get tough, teams don’t need hype. They don’t need louder voices, tighter control, or fake optimism. They need truth, presence and steadiness.

Not the anxious version of you spiraling behind closed doors. Not the radio-silent version “figuring it out.” And not the leader who mistakes control for competence. Hard moments reveal bad habits fast. Some leaders micromanage. Some talk louder. Some disappear. None of that builds trust.

My response is to put people first. Ensure you have the right people in the right roles doing the right things. It’s easy to manage talent when things are at all-time high. It’s when the rubber hits the road that your talent investment matter. That’s when great teams are built. Here are a few things I feel steady the waves in difficult times:

1. Be calm before you are confident Your team doesn’t need false optimism. They need emotional steadiness. Calm creates psychological safety. Safety creates trust. Trust keeps people engaged. If you’re spiraling internally, that’s human. Leadership is regulating yourself so your team doesn’t have to absorb it.

2. Tell the truth without panic Uncertainty is less damaging than silence. You don’t need all the answers. You do need honesty. “Here’s what we know. Here’s what we don’t. Here’s how we’re thinking about it.” Clarity beats reassurance every time.

3. Make people feel seen, not managed Hard times can make leaders transactional. Great leaders go the other way. They check in. They ask real questions. They acknowledge effort, not just results. People will go to the mat for leaders who see them, not just their deliverables.

4. Navigate together Doing hard things together as a team is the ultimate accomplishment. It doesn’t need to produce a positive result every time but it will ground the team with purpose and before you know it everyone has each other’s back.

Not every challenge ends in a clean victory. But shared effort builds something just as valuable - purpose, resilience, and mutual trust. Before you know it, the team stops looking up for direction and starts locking arms. That’s when culture stops being a slide deck and becomes a force.

When leaders lead through pressure instead of from it, teams don’t just survive business jolts—they come out stronger because of them. I keep a poem close to my heart,“Don’t Quit.” One line has guided my leadership more than any business book ever could:

Success is failure turned inside out.

Because it’s usually when things feel worst that quitting feels most logical and staying the course matters the most.

How do you show up when the pressure is on?

Being a CEO doesn’t mean you get every decision right. It means you’re accountable for every outcome especially the ones that miss.

Bad decisions happen. In fact, if you’re pushing for real growth, they’re inevitable. New markets. New pricing models. New bets on people, partners, or platforms. Some work beautifully. Some don’t. The real test of leadership isn’t the mistake. It’s what happens next.

But ownership alone isn’t leadership. Correction is. Owning a bad decision is not an admission of weakness. It’s an act of clarity.

Correction requires separating ego from insight. Was the strategy flawed or did execution fall short? Did we misread the customer or ignore what they were telling us? Did conditions change or did we hesitate too long to adapt? Progress comes from being honest about why something failed, not just acknowledging that it did. The most critical responsibility of the CEO is setting a new path forward.

Creating a new path is about refining and sharpening priorities, clearer focus, and stronger conviction. Fewer distractions. Better decisions because they’re informed by analysis, not pride.

The strongest CEOs I know don’t chase perfection. They build momentum. They move decisively, learn publicly, and adjust without drama. They create cultures where mistakes aren’t hidden. Instead, they are studied. Because learning creates momentum. It’s all about how fast we recognize it and act on it. That’s how companies and brands actually grow.

Yesterday was 1.11. A date people talk about as a moment for manifestation. The calendar just turned. It’s the Year of the Horse, a symbol of momentum, stamina, and forward motion.

And everywhere you look right now, there are predictions. What markets will do. What AI will change. What brands should be afraid of.

Here’s my POV as a CEO starting 2026:

Possibility doesn’t arrive fully formed. It responds to intention and effort.

Wanting things to happen is not the same as working to make them happen. Manifestation without motion is just wishful thinking. Real progress shows up when intention meets resilience.

This is the year to stop waiting for perfect clarity. To stop over-polishing ideas before they’ve had a chance to breathe. To trade certainty for curiosity.

At BAM, we believe ideas are alive. They need room to run. Experimentation isn’t a side project. It’s the strategy. Some ideas will sprint. Some will stumble. All of them will teach us something.

The universe is primed right now but only for those willing to move. For those who test, learn, adapt, and keep going when it gets uncomfortable. For those who choose belief and behavior.

At the ANA Masters of Marketing, the air crackled with innovation. AI case studies dazzled, data dashboards glowed, and every brand seemed to be racing toward what’s next. The takeaway? The future belongs to those who take bold steps. Companies willing to test, learn, and experiment with new tools, channels, and models will win in the short term.

But amid the noise of algorithms and AI, the true breakthrough still comes from human ingenuity. AI can find the patterns in an efficient way and cut precious time to minutes. Only people (for now) can find the meaning. It takes a human to connect multiple insights including cultural, emotional, behavioral and transform them into an idea for a brand that truly connects.

At BAM, we believe creativity is the ultimate connective tissue. It’s what turns experimentation into progress, data into direction, and tools into transformation.

The secret sauce isn’t the newest tech. It’s the timeless power of human insight, intuition, and imagination working with technology, not for it.

So take bold steps. Play. Learn. Experiment. But remember, true differentiation doesn’t come from chasing every new thing. It comes from seeing something no one else sees.

That’s where the magic and the momentum begin.

I’m heading to the ANA Masters of Marketing, one of those rare gatherings that recharges your energy, surrounds you with ideas, and the relentless drive to create momentum.

There’s something magnetic about being in a room filled with people who live at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and bold business building. Leaders who aren’t just reacting to trends but shaping them. It gives everyone the opportunity to step away from their screens and into environments that challenge how they think, lead, and ultimately grow.

In today’s hybrid, hyper-digital world, proximity has become a luxury. When you get in an environment where conversations spark ideas, it’s like oxygen for creativity.

At The BAM Connection, we call that Joyful Success — that rush of connection, curiosity, and courage that fuels better ideas and bigger outcomes. Events like the Masters of Marketing remind us that inspiration doesn’t live in isolation; it’s found in the collective energy of people determined to make marketing matter again. Because experiences don’t come from the sidelines, they come from showing up.

This past month, my daughter’s wedding gave me one of life’s greatest highs. Months of planning, emotion, detail, anticipation all building to one unforgettable moment. And then…it’s over.

That strange space after a high is familiar in business too. The pitch is won. The campaign is launched. The acquisition closes. You hit the goal you’ve been chasing. For a moment, it’s intoxicating. Then suddenly, you feel it: the hunger for more.

Great agencies, like great people, don’t just chase the high. They channel it. They use the joy of achievement as rocket fuel for the next challenge. Because the truth is momentum matters more than milestones. Milestones aren’t the end game. They need to move you forward. Momentum is the key to building businesses and relationships.

So, whether it’s a wedding or a world-changing campaign, the question is the same, How do you take the magic of a peak moment and turn it into energy that carries you forward?

For me, the answer is simple. Don’t cling to the high, Build on it. Celebrate, yes. But then double down. Because the only thing better than one unforgettable high is chasing the next one.

As a CEO, I spend most of my days in the fast lane—driving results, managing change, building culture, and constantly scanning the horizon for what’s next. But at my daughter’s wedding in Hawaii, I was reminded of something deeper: the Hawaiian way of life holds lessons that every leader and every company need to embrace.

1. Aloha Is More Than a Greeting

“Aloha” is not just hello or goodbye. It’s a spirit, a way of leading with love, respect, and genuine presence. Watching two families unite under that word reminded me that business, at its best, is also about connection. The brands and companies that thrive aren’t the loudest or the flashiest. They’re the ones that create authentic bonds with people.

2. Slowing Down Speeds You Up

Hawaiians talk about pono: balance and doing things the right way. In a world obsessed with speed, we often confuse motion with progress. But on the islands, I saw how slowing down and being deliberate, being present creates space for clarity and better decisions. For leaders, that means not just rushing to the next meeting, but taking the time to align the team, set intention, and move forward with purpose.

3. Respect for Land, Culture, and People

The wedding was infused with Hawaiian traditions that honored the land, the ancestors, and the community. That sense of stewardship struck me. As leaders, we’re also stewards, not just of profits, but of culture, of talent, and of the legacy we leave behind. Every decision we make is planting seeds for what grows after us.

4. Joy Is Serious Business

Hawaiian life is filled with song, dance, laughter, and celebration. At the wedding, joy wasn’t an afterthought, it was the fuel. It reminded me that joy isn’t frivolous in business either. Joy drives creativity, collaboration, and resilience. Companies that lead with joy aren’t just more fun to work at, they’re more magnetic, more innovative, and ultimately more successful.

The CEO Takeaway

My daughter’s wedding was a personal milestone. But it was also a professional reminder: leadership isn’t just about strategy and numbers. It’s about Aloha and leading with heart. It’s about pono and finding balance and integrity in every decision. It’s about stewardship and joy.

Hourly billing is broken. Project fees are stop-and-go. Both create friction, misaligned incentives, and short-term thinking.

The future? Subscription/retainer models. We can take a page from companies like Netflix and Spotify. You know what you’re paying and what you get meets your expectations.

So what’s in it for Clients?

• Predictability (budget clarity, no surprises)

• On-demand access to the agency brain trust

• Ability to flex with business needs and move faster

• Focus on impact, not hours

Subscriptions create aligned incentives. Clients pay for impact and continuity. Agencies invest for the long term, not the next project. And together, both sides can move faster, pivot smarter, and build brands with momentum.

At BAM, we’ve seen how long-term partnerships beat one-offs. Subscriptions also nurture consistency of voice, momentum, and brand growth. The best way to achieve Impact is to have a partnership with shared ambition.

It’s not about charging differently. It’s about building relationships differently.

Predictable. Aligned. Scaled for impact.

(2nd in a series on compensation models)

Agency ideas have historically been treated as deliverables; part of a menu of items a client takes ownership of within a services agreement. The work is viewed as transactional and not as high-value intellectual property. We pour our strategic vision, creativity, and cultural insight into concepts that don’t just sell products but instead build brands. As the world has moved to project work, agencies continue to hand over full rights as if the work expires at launch. The reality is that it lives far beyond that.

For AOR relationships, while an idea may be born in a single market, often it scales globally. A campaign idea meant for a quarter can live for years. That’s tremendous value. That’s equity for any marketer and not equally balanced for the agency.

Two thoughts for my industry:

1. For project work, intellectual property should be retained. At minimum, Clients should consider licensing fee for work that extends beyond an agreed upon time period.

2. For AOR work, multi-market usage should be considered. Global adoption and long-term usage are proof of success.

Owning our work is not about revenue (although that is a nice bonus), it’s about respect for the transformative value we create and the impact our ideas have on business growth. It’s an accepted model in music, film, photography and even tech. It is the magic key to unlocking performance and value.  So, what’s in it for clients to change. Here are a few benefits as I see it:

• Bottomline, it rewards what work and usage is tied directly to proof of success.

• Usage-based fees can be lower initially versus flat fees and once it aligns with ROI, will IP rates apply. So, what might cost $100 initially might drop to $60 with usage pricing.

• Agencies can cover legal protection for usage rights

• And most importantly, it drives better work. When there is shared upside, agencies invest more and raise the bar on what is possible.

In the end it’s all about value. The value of driving business and the value in partnerships to equally share in that success.

Many still operate on a fee-based model. It’s a relic of a time when value was measured in hours, not in impact. The agency puts in the time, delivers the work, and gets paid. But what happens when that work doesn’t just deliver, it transforms businesses into highly attractive acquisitions?

Let me give you two real world examples from The BAM.

We partnered with Akorn Consumer Health to reposition and relaunch their TheraTears brand. Not just a new look, not just a tagline. We redefined the category: Not eye drops. Eye therapy.That brand grew from $70 million to a $230+ million acquisition.

We also helped launch the first medical dispensary, Keystone Canna Remedies in Pennsylvania, taking it from one location to three in under two years, culminating in a $63 million sale. In both cases, BAM delivered exceptional business outcomes. And in both cases, we were paid a flat fee.

Now I can only fantasize if we would have been compensated based on the results we helped drive!

Outcome-based compensation rewards bold thinking. It aligns incentives. It creates true partnership, not just transactions. Right now, most brands hedge. They want guaranteed results but balk at paying for the success we create. Outcome-based compensation flips that dynamic. It says: We win when you win. That’s not just accountability; that’s alignment at the highest level. And let’s be honest, if agencies were compensated based on outcomes, you’d see a lot fewer decks and a lot more impact. Agencies that are confident in their strategic and creative power should be the first to demand outcome-based models. And brands that want breakthrough growth? They should insist on them.

At BAM, we’ve already proven we can deliver the outcomes, now we’re looking for more partners ready to structure relationships that reflect that. The old model rewards effort. The new model rewards effectiveness.

Let’s shift the paradigm, not just in eye care, but in how we do business.

It feels like a tectonic shift that has me thinking about where agencies bring the greatest value. Are we worth it? Hell, yeah. The BAM Connection has lived through several sales where strategy and advertising led the way for the brands. We drove one brand from a $70MM start to over a $300 million acquisition and another that started at ZERO and was acquired for over $60 million after two years! Was our model broken then – absolutely. We weren’t paid for outcomes; we were paid for hours worked. And we were fast, smart and delivered.

In the world of AI, headlines and layouts are certainly made easier with technology. The culture, subtext, emotional nuance and the long arc of a brand’s narrative is best delivered – man with machine.

So what should Clients pay for?

A few possibilities:

• Outcome-based pricing. Tie agency compensation to the real-world business impact of ideas. (Yes, scary. Yes, doable. Especially with AI-assisted analytics.)

• IP ownership and licensing. If agencies use AI to create proprietary tools, systems, or creative platforms, they should retain rights and monetize them accordingly.

• Subscription or retainer models for thinking. Strategy, insight, and brand stewardship don’t follow a project timeline. They deserve a standing value.

• Hybrid pricing stacks. Mix flat fees for production (AI-driven), with premiums for human-led insight and concept development.

Clients don’t need more content.

They need meaning, velocity, and strategic edge.

And that’s where bold, independent agencies thrive.

Let’s build what’s next.

Cannes comes in like a creative thunderstorm—electrifying, loud, impossible to ignore.

The best work. The boldest ideas. The sharpest minds.

We binge brilliance for a week… and then what?

We go home.

Back to the grind.

Back to meetings about meetings.

Back to waiting for permission to be daring again.

Why? If Cannes shows us what’s possible, why aren’t we chasing that level of energy every damn day? One week of inspiration isn’t enough. We need to light the fire, daily challenge each other harder, celebrate smarter thinking, create space to mess up and try again. We need to create a daily buzz of learning, provocation, and progress.

Cannes reminds us what’s possible. It’s up to us to turn that spark into a steady flame and make inspiration our daily expectation.

Debate more. Learn louder. Push further.

Make the agency floor the new main stage.

Most relationships in life begin with a human connection. A conversation, a coffee meet-up, a face-to-face “Do I like you?” moment. These are the most interesting and delightful Client reviews for me. Pete Carter of Creative Haystack runs reviews through chemistry meals. It is a brilliant concept. Do you feel comfortable with the team in the most comfortable situation – a meal. As you break bread together, you get to ask yourself, can I see myself working with this team day-to-day problem solving?  Is this a team that will listen, debate, share, stretch my brand to achieve our goals. These types of encounters really go a step beyond the traditional form and emphasize the value of spirited conversation. Agencies get so energized when they have opportunities to really talk through ideas, discover the possibilities together and work through the challenges. And it is especially advantageous when you have these conversations upfront. You really get the up close and personal touch and see the more active, in the moment thought process. Teams get the opportunity to explore and challenge on the spot.
That’s usually when the magic happens!

Building new relationships is a like a long-term investment, especially when nearly 60-80% of all new business wins at an advertising agency come from people you already know! Shockingly less than 40% come from new relationships. I guess, it’s not that surprising. Since COVID, people tend to spend more and more time meeting virtually. It is so easy to curtail time spent together and even be off camera. Certainly not the ideal recipe for building meaningful connections. To help start conversations and make new connections, we have opted to share our knowledge and personality over time through these newsletters. They are meant to inform, entertain and maybe even encourage you to take the leap and make a new friend! There certainly are questions - Are they getting to you? Do you see the value? Lots of questions and even fewer real answers. I do Know a few things – there is a lot of valuable information in here, also a few giggles and whole lot of insight. Most importantly, we chose to reach out to you with these newsletters and over time hope we can meet and learn more about each other. At the BAM, we believe it’s always a good time to make a new friend. Let’s start the conversation at bambusiness@thebam.com

Countless studies (IPA, Harvard, ANA,WFA to name a few) support that long-term Client-Agency relationships lead to better strategic and financial value than short-term engagements. The first and most tangible reason is that is provides the collective team a long, unencumbered runway to reach a goal making it far easier to hit. BETTER OVERALL MARKETING PERFORMANCE. There is no ramp up on understanding priorities and as a result, the team gets to results faster and at lower costs. HIGHER EFFICIENCY. The Client benefits from sharper creative and strategic contributions because of a deeper brand understanding; so you spend more time optimizing and less on re-teaching. GREATER BUSINESS IMPACT. The team thrives on a culture of performance where every problem is attacked with more consistency. Not to mention that a trusted partner also becomes an extension of the Client’s team leading to transparent conversations, faster decision-making and an agility in delivering ideal outcomes. In the end, a collaborative, sustained partnership delivers a Client the ultimate competitive edge. That’s an ROC everyone should believe in! The ultimate Return on Connection. So why then is it so undervalued today?

I watched the faces of Super Bowl fans at an annual party during each commercial studying reactions, as I typically do, to see if the “regular humans” would line with the industry polls. From the fantastical to the celebrity to the just plain “scratch your head” spots, the disappointment was loud. Instead, most reveled in the commercials from the past. That was until the Budweiser foal was left behind and the keg of Budweiser fell from the truck. I noticed a change in the room and watched he child-like faces and oohs and aahs as the colt heroically delivers the case to the local joint. It stole hearts. Budweiser does it again. It was beyond a tried-and-true approach. It connected to the best of the human spirit. Not surprisingly, my group was a good indicator for the USA Today Ad Meter. While as an ad professional, I may have appreciated a few others, I too felt the tug. Coming through for others and following in the path of your mentors. And finally stepping into the spotlight and deliver for others. The Clydesdales – the best of who we are and the joy we can bring.

Yes, this Bud’s for you and you and you.

So many Clients today are bracing for increasing costs due to tariffs. Talks of streamlining and reducing expenses are prevalent in many agency discussions. At a time where expectations of the “Golden Age” are part of new narrative, is it really possible that American marketers are retreating?

Marketing 101 tells us that differentiation is the lever that a brand needs to unlock for brand success. With the potential wave of increased prices across multiple categories of business, now more than ever, it should be a time of renewed differentiation principles. Why should consumers continue to choose you at a higher price?  

While some may manage a P&L for the short-term, only the brave invest knowing the long-term will reap the greatest benefits.

Advertising agency fee are more than often designated as non-working dollars in Client budgets. It has always confused me because this is where the magic of ideas take flight so brands can have impact with their media dollars (designated as working). So, I thought I would look up the definition and see if it sheds a light on how this has come to be.  

Non-working  

- Not employed: Not having a job or producing income. For example, "Our employee medical plan also covers nonworking spouses". 

- Not involved in work: Not engaged in or directed toward work. For example, "What are some of your nonworking activities?". 

- Not functioning: Not operating or working. For example, "a nonworking coffee grinder". 

I think we would all agree that this definition certainly doesn’t define the impact an agency’s creative product contributes to their brand. So again, I ask why are services referred to in this way? We can all agree that the thinking is the hardest part of the job and contributes the most to the success of a brand and company. We recognize leadership and its value in many ways in moving companies forward with smart thinking. Maybe it’s time to reward creative ideas that lead brands to their highest valuations in the same way. Or, the very least change the description from non-working to Catapulting working. 

Because without the idea those working media dollars won’t really work as hard. 

The top 100 most valuable brands today are worth over 5 trillion dollars; more than half reside in the United States. How they got there was no accident; years of branding and product innovation supported by powerful media. Today, network bandwidth doubles every six months. That translates to more and more stuff spreading like a wildfire suffocating social channels demanding attention. Poof and your message is gone. 

Given the pressures of the product post stampede, how do you manage the chaos so your brand stands apart? Some clients choose commonization of communication allowing technology to get to messages faster and cheaper and as pervasive as their budgets can go. But, is that the beginning of the slippery slope? Is it all about chasing the short term win, joining the stampede rather than investing in what allows you to consistently forge ahead of your competitors and outrun them in the long term? 

Outmaneuvering each message and laying the runway for a superior branding story takes heart and head. Each word becomes ownable and valuable in creating brand distinction. Branding isn’t for the faint of heart or the people looking for a quick catch and release. It is a discipline that builds shareholder value robustly and consistently. Where will brands be in 3-5 years if the “set it and forget it” doesn’t work? Will your brand cut through the noise?

How many times do we send emails or texts and get no response? The frustration, the “fill-in-the-blank” stories we create. It has become far too common not to respond. Is it the easy way out of a conversation? Leaving the sender feeling uncertain, devalued and that they have wasted their time….and yours. I understand “No” is an often-difficult word to use as a response. “No, I am not interested.” “No, now is not the right time.” “This is wonderful to learn, but not ready to do right now”. These types of responses might leave some people feeling uncomfortable. But what is the alternative, silence? It’s hard to know what to say, and how to say it. But maybe being considerate, kind and honest is a good start. We talk about these values as a society yet in the simplest of interactions, we don’t apply it. This lack of basic courtesy seems to contradict the values we claim to uphold.

Emily Post, the queen of etiquette from years gone by, said, “The letter you write, whether you realize it or not, is always a mirror which reflects your appearance, taste and character.” I challenge you to think about the letter you don’t write; the response you don’t have time to give. Is that the impression you want to leave of yourself in business and life?

Seeding a company culture is key part of leadership in any organization, and a way to lift your organization and attract prospective talent.

Having leaders that both embody the ideals of the company yet can replicate them in their team is one of a company’s most valuable assets. It is an often overlooked and undervalued asset as it typically reflects the softer, less tangible side of leadership. Today, however, it is the engine that energizes an organization, attracts young talent and creates a unique bond between employers and employees. 

Having culture become a key pillar of evaluation is a statement by a company that they stand behind the ideals they set forth and encourage employees to internalize and contribute to ways it can show up in the world.

How does your company show up? Are your employees passionate about the company ideals and do they contribute each day to driving that enthusiasm? Are you relevant to prospective talent? If any of these questions, have you pausing, check out THE BAM Tik Tok here and let’s have a conversation. 

Is branding important in today’s world of fast, cheap and good enough social posts and videos?

Maybe a short term panacea, but time and time again I learn it becomes a slippery slope to “WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!”. In a marketplace where creators and “influencers” hawk multiple brands a day and hundreds in a given week, are you surprised your brand becomes part of the very lucrative pile. The singular awareness spike wanes pretty quickly and the brand either scored big or saw a blip that leaves you looking for the next best thing.

Just maybe, the ideal approach is to first understand the brand and what makes it unique then craft and hone the platform. Put the controls back in the hands of the brand.

When Wall Street leads brand decision-making, we are all on a slippery slope. But maybe we are entering a new era from brand building to brand blasting.

Stock prices have become such an important indicator of a company’s success. Revenue is down; stock price dips and so on. Brands suffer as support is typically pulled to control the narrative. But, does this require agencies and clients to think differently about how they connect with consumers for short term sales success? Perhaps, we need to keep the brand front and center, but not be bound by all the brand building benefits that typically appear in a brief. You could certainly make the case that being part of the conversation and impacting sales in the moment is more important than creating and obtaining buy-in to a brand narrative. Maybe making decisions about numbers for Wall Street doesn’t mean decimating the brand effort, but strategically creating something that is more explosive? Is this the new reality, and the right way for brands to go? Or even better, if done well, can’t you have both?

When you are not on your front foot you will always be on your backfoot.

It is so important to anticipate and act in the fast-paced world of advertising. I always advocate to wargame scenarios so you are always ready with action. The only way to stay ahead is to lead with real insight and consistently be one step ahead.  Otherwise, inaction paralyzes you and you are always playing catch-up and reacting to a sharper competitor.ription

2020 is sooooo over! So why did everyone get so comfortable relating through boxes. Now I know there is efficiency in long distance meeting, save the emissions from too many SUVs on the road and oh yeah, I’d rather be home, but how the hell are you supposed to create new relationships in a box on a computer?

Let’s start with the fact that once you start presenting, the box gets even more suffocating. You can’t see reactions so you can’t anticipate anything which is usually an important component of relationship building. Then everyone is muted.

The silence is deafening and brings the energy to a staunching halt. Then the worst violator – the video plays and the lack of sync between what they see causes instant arrhythmia across the panel of boxes.

Let’s drop the box and open our doors to face-to-face interactions. Are you ready!