The Strategy Inside Everything

I read this presentation by Zoe Scaman, founder of Bodacious , and asked to discuss her thinking on the changing nature of fandoms and how that drives brand and businesses forward. She's presented this at high profile events, like Zee Melt, so it was fantastic to talk to Zoe in depth about how she's seeing this applied in the world of consumer brands. Find Zoe on Twitter and Substack . You can enj...

What is reality? More subjective than you thought a year ago, I bet. Consuming our own individual, curated set of inputs we can take our minds anywhere we want. There are people who have seen all of the Star Wars films and believe those 11 (12? Who can keep track?) films and there are people who know that Grand Admiral Thrawn is the best villain in the Star Wars universe. There are whole universes...

Do you know those things you're supposed to do, things that are good for you that you avoid? For many children, it's eating vegetables or studying math. For me, it is making contact with people. Left to my own devices, I would mostly avoid people and try to focus inward, that's my default. Why do we choose bad habits over good ones? Why do we eat gummy bears when there are string beans in the hous...

I reached out to the incredible Aisea Laungaue, Partner and Chief  Strategy Officer at Anomaly LA. I read something he shared about always  getting to the same place in terms of the same types of leadership in  advertising agencies as a result of the same inputs for recruiting. His  unstated question: If we don't change the stimuli, how do we hope to  expect a different re...

There's been a bit of a cynical backlash against purpose driven marketing. A lot of the backlash has been earned by insincere cash grabs by organizations wrapping themselves in a cause for relevance or just to have something to say. Nothing new there. The shame of it is, this is a time when there are so many worthy causes, so much tumult that people are receptive to–actually wanting–companies help...

You'll enjoy this chat with Kate O'Neill, author, strategist, futurist  and founder of KO Insights. She has been working in technology for more  than 25 years, and thinking about the way people relate through it,  alongside it and in spite of it. We discuss the luxury of the tools we  have at this moment, and the way we may be bending to the tools versus  shaping the tools...

This could be as simple as work style. But it could me more  important, like political views that just clash, or ends with which I  don't agree. I had the pleasure of discussing aligning values and  outputs with the dynamic Rana Sidahmed from Avery Dennison. In this  conversation, she tells me how her team works with partners and leads  them to solutions in sustainability...

I reached out to Kenneth Kinney who has been mastering video media  and a leader in addressable television advertising since before I knew  it was possible. He is noted speaker and expert on media strategy and he has a vision for how the current state of things will lead  to changes in a broad collection of industries that contribute to and  benefit from the content we consume....

I got to speak with Jessica Lehmann Ash about how she connects things  in her mind. How her work studying music created a model for her  thinking and how she applies it today. As strategy lead at  Co:Collective, she is still looking for ways to connect what she knows  to what she seeks to understand. Jessica folds lessons from seemingly  disconnected activities and discipl...

It's easy for brands and organizations to say they stand for something when there's nothing at stake. The idea of purpose and purpose washing is something I've thought and written about. I'm on record saying I don't believe companies don't need to have a higher purpose as it has come to be known. In fact, having a stated purpose that is not true is likely much more damaging. I was set to speak wit...

I’ve been thinking too much, not sure about you. We’re buried by news. Almost all of it, awful. So, I’ve been looking for sources of inspiration, good news, brightness in the dark and other cliches. One of my favorites of the month is this Twitter account that just showcases cool street art. It’s a wonderful testiment to creativity and ingenuity and the person who operates it is prolific. But I ca...

Raise your hand if you’re ready for a distraction? We discuss the ways our past 30 years of technology hasn’t truly impacted the way we approach problem solving in daily lives. We recorded this before a lot of what’s going on, so it is free from COVID-19 and health conversation. I had the opportunity to sit down across thousands of miles of internet cabling with Tom Goodwin to discuss his new book...

Farrah Bostic, Founder and Strategy Director at The Difference Engine, makes the first repeat appearance on The Strategy Inside Everything. This time, she's accompanied by Haskell the wonder dog to talk about the ways living and observing the brand experience of our clients in-person leads to discovery and derived insights. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific.substack.com...

The incredible Ryan Wallman joined me to talk about the inspiration for his new book, Delusions of Brandeur and the decisions he made to create a very different kind of marketing book. We also discuss evidence based marketing and his medical training. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific.substack.com/subscribe

Jocelyn S. Lai has been identifying and recruiting talent for a long  time. She joins Adam to discuss the ways the needs of both the market  and the talent have changed. Her role has shifted from agency recruiter  to building a team at Duolingo, providing a broad perspective. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at adampierno.com/podcast-lander Hey, you might be a liste...

Jen Bonhomme carved out some time from her work at VMLY&R to talk about what makes an impact in our minds. We are exposed to dozens  (hundreds?) of digital experiences on a daily basis, so that our minds are kept from wandering. Is this harmful in the long run? Are younger people who have grown up tethered to a screen better or worse off than those who pine for the days where they were mo...

I recently had the chance to talk with owner of Brown & Browner Advertising, Derek Walker. We looked at his well-constructed view on why agencies fail, how they succeed and what the future might look like. It's an insightful talk from someone who's been on the agency and brand side of the desk, as well as run his own shop for a decade. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific....

Adam had the pleasure of chatting with my old friend Chris Sietsema of Teach to Fish Digital. He saw what agencies looked like, how they were viewed by clients and figured out his own path. We talk about how individual tactics build the brand. His perspective is a valuable way to understand how our traditionally disconnected tasks get us to our goals. Special bonus for listeners of The Strategy In...

The brilliant Grant Owens joins Adam today to talk about turnover in brand. How the fail fast mantra has changed the way brands are approached and built by corporations, and the way they are considered or received by their intended customers. Finally an episode that didn't start as a Twitter thread! Grant joins us from Critical Mass where he is Chief Strategy Officer. Get full access to The Strate...

Author Nir Eyal brought us Hooked, a look at how to design digital products that keep us coming back. Now he's written Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. He's been paying attention (no pun intended) to the ways we give in to tech and make excuses for it. This book gives us a practical plan for getting back to the real world. Get full access to The Strategy Inside E...

Hurrah's Angela Natividad made time on the Fourth of July to chat with Adam about how esports are blowing up, and what outsiders misunderstand. This is easily one of our favorite conversations of the season. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific.substack.com/subscribe

Jasmine Bina made time in her day (evening, actually) to talk about how people develop trust. She is the CEO of Concept Bureau. Oddly, we lived this out as I (tried to) earn Jasmine's trust in real time during this chat. It's both a wide-ranging and extremely focused talk that you are going to play more than once. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, we welcome VCU professor Kevin Rothermel. He's at the front lines with students of advertising and seeing the challenges, the growth and the promise. In this conversation, we look at how strategy is taught, and what breaks through. Get full access to The Strategy Inside Everything at specific.substack.com/subscribe

Ana Andjelic is a formidable thinker on brands, retail, digital and as a doctor of sociology, behavior. She also has an amazing understanding of the luxury market having spent years working in and studying luxury categories and consumers. She joins Adam today to talk about the confluence of digital, retail, luxury and brand when behavior is swirled together. Get full access to The Strategy Inside...

Julian Cole is just back from a year-long sabbatical from strategy. He  spent the time traveling around the world with his fiancé, exploring  different cultures and thinking about what he wants to do next. The  answer will excite you.