1) Who could have predicted that we’d be nearing the end of 2017 and celebrating statues, murals, puns, and a 50 year old outdoor campaign. I think it’s because in a moment of drastic change we’ve sought safety in trying to reinvent traditional mediums. Breathing new life into old forms by using new forms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook - to bring participation, personalization, and making them social.

3) We are about to launch a campaign for Supercell’s Clash games that brings a character from the game world into our world for a month. What an incredible opportunity to explore what our world would be like if a hero lived with us. What would they do here? How would they affect us? How would we affect them when they returned?

4) From a business perspective I think we’ll see more production companies and small creative agencies merging to form new creative offerings for brands. We’ll continue to see more brands bring creative, production, and strategy in-house but staffed in ways agencies have been reluctant to leap forward with.
Creatively I’m very curious about voice and how it will reinvent how we think about radio. We’re googling for things by voice instead of typing. The opportunity reminds me of the recent resurgence of outdoor, physical, and activation ideas because of mobile. How do you write for radio when the audience can talk back?

5) In an ever changing world of technology, social, devices, fancy cameras and data - whether it was 50 years ago or 50 years from now - work that champions the human spirit in original and creative ways always rises to the top. And more than ever brands are looking for their unique way to do this and make what they stand for matter.

6) We’re giving careful consideration to buying a karaoke machine for the agency.

1) Focus. With every new toy that enters into the marketing sandbox these days, it’s more important than ever to stay focused. I’ve witnessed far too many clients chase the new toy with little regard for how it fits into their communications plan, their budget, or even their narrative. The result is a splintering effect that deteriorates the quality of the work. Somehow, the educational purposes of events like F8, the Facebook Developer Conference, are turning into a shiny buffet of bells and whistles for sale. While I applaud all of our desires to innovate and move at the speed at which the Facebooks of the world do – the simple truth is most brands can’t. They can’t chase every tail that wags. They need to, now more than ever, focus. I’d argue that discipline will be the greatest challenge for marketers in the next year or so. They will get far more credit for doing one thing really well than if they do a bazillion things haphazardly.

3) I personally think the new Adidas strategy is genius. It boldly recognizes the powerful role sport has in defining culture, and celebrates individuality in an industry that typically doesn’t. What’s more, it doesn’t feel like an advertising platform. It feels authentic to who they are. Think about it. Run-D.M.C. talked about their Adidas. Not Nikes. Adidas is and always has been a part of the creative culture. Now, they come out and say it ain’t all about sport – the team, the hard work, or the sweat. All of that is fine if you want to win a game. But, if you want to win bigger than that… if you want to become an icon and stand out… then be a freak. Be a character. Be polarizing. Be a creator.

This arguably is an anti-sport strategy. It’s an anti-performance strategy. It’s a strategy that honestly acknowledges the role sport has in the greater landscape that reaches far outside the confines of a basketball court. It took guts to admit that, and then even more to salute those athletes who are the true curators of culture.

1) I see the best brands -and therefore the best advertising- taking a more human approach. Suddenly, the big discussions around technology and AI have moved us into a weird and obscure territory, a sort of “Orwellian” space where we are either going to be saved or doomed by machines. In this context, some of the best pieces of work this year so far are tapping human insights and tackling problems in an authentic and sometimes truly analog fashion, like Fearless Girl; or finding a way to turn high technology into the punch line, like the Alexa-Whopper idea for Burger King. I truly believe that is and will always be our role.

2) The work mentioned above, as well as the recent work from Under Armour using original poetry as the voice over to tell the story of the struggles that athletes faced on their way to success. Two powerful PSA’s; the “Asshole” and “Evan”. Especially the latter, as it goes beyond mere awareness and actually gives you something to do about the issue.

3) Two of the best pieces we produced this year at Saatchi New York, “Bradshaw Stain” for Tide and “The Receipt” for Walmart, are pretty good examples of that type of integration. In the case of “Bradshaw Stain” we managed to create a stunt within the Super Bowl broadcast that really blurred the lines between the actual event and the commercial break, and people reacted in an incredible way, turning to Twitter to talk about the idea as if they were commenting on the game. “The Receipt” took a pretty innovative approach to a sponsorship of the Oscars. Rather than create a typical brand campaign, we approached three Hollywood directors with the same Walmart receipt and asked each of them to create a short film based on it. We then promoted and premiered the films during the event. This unique effort managed to integrate the brand into the conversation and buzz around the event and its contenders rather than limiting our relevance to the commercial breaks.

4) I have a feeling there will be a lot of Christmas stuff towards the end of the year. Seriously, it’s hard to make any predictions, but I expect that all the rapid changes we are seeing in the retail landscape will translate into marketing efforts very soon. It’s going to get really interesting and even more competitive.

5) Ideas bigger than ads are still the ones that make the cut. And it’s refreshing to see that one of the most prominent ideas in any award show is a simple sculpture of a little girl. Amid all the noise about technology, an idea executed in one of the oldest mediums in the history of human kind got all the world to talking. To me, that’s a really good sign for an industry that is supposed to be about ideas, regardless of the technology we use to bring them to life.

6) I might try an in-home device at some point, though I still struggle with the idea of bringing yet another voice into my house. I enjoy technology with a hint of distance. In fact, I am actually more curious about the changes and new habits technology triggers in us and the situations and new narratives it creates, than about the actual technology itself.

1) 2017 has been an uneasy year for most people. We’re living in a political and socially charged climate, which has caused brands to take notice and create more purpose-driven work. Brands are increasingly paying attention to Millennials who value authenticity and have real concerns about our leadership, equality and gender. They are progressive and non-traditional so all bets are off if anyone is trying to reach this demographic through traditional means. Mobile content, Snapchat and Facebook ads (short-form content) are a regular part of my conversation when discussing long-form content with a producer and creative team.

2) Hey Wonderful has worked on several projects this year I’m most proud of that speak to the power of adverting and our responsibility to take action. Peking (Nat Livingston Johnson and Gregory Mitnick) directed Doritos’ “No Choice” award-winning campaign with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The goal was to demonstrate that when you’re not registered to vote, you don’t get a choice and if you don’t vote, you don’t get the chance to get what you want. We went to a college campus in Michigan and spoke to kids about voting and the majority had no interest. We knew pretty quickly from Nat and Greg’s interviews that the election was not in the bag and that the Midwest was in real danger of swinging.

Another project was for PUR water, “Know Your Water” directed by Sam Cadman via Arnold Worldwide, which literally brings the Flint water crisis into your home by way of a pop up “water bar” that we set up in NYC. We filmed real people sampling an array of tap water from around the country that contained legal levels of mercury and lead in it. I promise you no humans were harmed during filming but everyone did leave questioning what contaminants are in the water they drink.

It was also gratifying to see “Fearless Girl” become one of the most honored initiatives in Cannes Lion history. It single handedly brought attention to woman leadership and gender equality in the most simple, yet forceful way.

3) The National Geographic “Genius” short films directed by our wonderful Sam Spiegel are a perfect mesh of advertising and entertainment. We were given a tremendous opportunity to create two original short films inspired by Albert Einstein’s imagination to promote the series “Genius” and ideally reach a broader audience via their social and digital platforms. Nat Geo’s goal was to have people share this original content and attract new viewers in ways their other media hadn’t. It was a huge win for everyone and proved that if we can use branded content to get people engaged with the broader subject matter, an audience will take the extra time to check out and, most importantly, stick with, a new series. This was Sam’s first branded content campaign and the agency (Pereira & O’Dell) and the folks at Nat Geo were the best creative partners we could ask for.

4) I think purpose driven and socially fueled advertising are here to stay and that mobile and immersive content will become a greater piece of the pie. Virtual reality will become a greater force in advertising thanks in large part to the entertainment industry that is leaps and bounds ahead of us. In order to get there, the advertising industry needs to figure out how to place the consumer into the brand and not the way other around.

5) Fearless Girl becoming the most awarded initiative in Cannes Lions history gives me hope that we are using our voice to affect change and move the needle forward. It’s a message and permanence that will not be soon forgotten.

I’m also thrilled we made an impactful change to the AICP show by adding a social cause category, and as a juror this year, it was the strongest field of entries I’ve ever seen in an award show.

1) The pause in digital advertising spend and a return to more trust in television delivery was a wake up call to those who jumped on the digital bandwagon too early. We’re hearing from numerous advertisers who want sales conversions and have become disillusioned by the digital sales narrative that’s heavy on reaching a consumer base that has no money to spend. Eventually all the platforms will wake up and realize that the most coveted demographic is 55+ because they control 75 percent of the country’s wealth and dominate purchases in most of the import consumer sectors. The biggest lie in media is that the 25-54 demo is all important. The first significant media company to own the 55+ crowd wins.

2) The American dream continues to be redefined and the world view gap between Millennials and Boomers seems to be ever widening. The housing market is an obvious manifestation of that gap. For instance, we continue to see massive interest from those under 40 in the tiny house movement that has broadened to include a wide variety of evolving structures—ranging from custom modified containers to old buses and abandoned cabins. Hence, our hit Tiny House Big Living series on HGTV spawned Tiny Paradise which gave rise to Containables and Bus Live Ever. Millennials and Gen-Z kids crave freedom and mobility and happily trade it for possessions and debt.

3) Messages with heart that awaken what’s best in us and bring us together stand out in a world where our institutions seem both dysfunctional, self serving, and chaotic. Any advertising that can create a personal relationship between a brand and a consumer always stands out and the Ram Trucks’ Super Bowl ad with Paul Harvey, ‘So God Made a Farmer’ stands out as a classic winner.

4) The massive repositioning of retail is and will continue to have profound ramifications on advertising, the overall economy, and how we live. Digital for digital’s sake will be replaced by lifestyle empowerment, community and inspiration through digital. Brands will continue to build their own media presence, cultivate their own communities, and will rely less and less on others to reach their consumers for them.

5) Validates the old axiom that emotion + information = communication...whether it’s a TV series, ad campaign, or a political campaign.

6) We continually experiment with new video and camera technologies that are helping transform the viewer experience. It’s a dynamic field and requires a corporate devotion to continuous improvement.

1) It feels like the majority of the general public is finally embracing second screen viewing. Multi-screen viewing isn’t new, but has become a regular habit across demos. More and more campaigns are extending beyond broadcast and include the devices that have become such a big part of everyone’s lives.

2) Adidas Originals: Original is never finished. Not only is it visually stunning, but the timing was either of stroke of genius or the coincidence of a lifetime.

3) Timeliness and relevancy are essential to making great work. And the return of the Szechuan Sauce activation that We Are Unlimited created for McDonald’s had the good fortune of being attached to a cultural rocket ship.

4) I think, at least I hope, that we are learning that quality beats quantity. A memorable ad that sticks in consumers’ heads lifts a brands quality and perception more so than blanketing channels with logos.

5) Awards are great, but watching all the case study films is what is truly eye opening for me. The amount of impressions that these campaigns get is incredible; I didn’t even know that numbers existed with that many commas in them.

6) AI both online and in everyday life is going to take a big leap forward in the near future. From personal assistants to online chat bots who can deliver perfectly timed and targeted information to consumers, AI will become a huge part of everything we do.

1) Basically, the way we think and work with clients has become more expansive with massive idea-driven campaigns that extend across multiple platforms and produce all sorts of new content. The non-traditional approach has become common practice. Regardless, a story is still a story and the fundamental way of taking people on a journey relies upon narrative, perspective, and the people working together to tell it. That will never change. Using extreme wide shots, however, might. They’re much harder to see on an iPhone.

2) Fearless Girl, by McCann, is one of my favorite projects of the year. It was a hugely successful piece of work that compelled people to respond spontaneously and emotionally. I watched a YouTube video of the creative team talking about the very first person who saw the girl, a middle aged women who just happened to be walking down the street in the early morning. This woman saw the statue facing off against the Bull and hugged her. Simple. Powerful. It must have felt amazing to witness that moment.

4) Looking at the political landscape – everywhere, not just in the US – what we face now pushes people creatively to use their voices through entertainment or advertising in new ways, which is a positive thing. When you are put in a corner you come out fighting with better skills. At least that’s what the boxer in me feels.

1) Increasingly, companies who were known for one area are expanding into others - clients/brands are building internal agencies, agencies adding production, and so on. This has some understood pitfalls, but can also have significant upsides. One, is a greater understanding of what is involved from strategy and concept to execution. Our expertise is in production, but it behooves us to understand the intricacies of what agencies and brands do so that we are better partners to each. The other is the opportunity to connect and to partner, be iron sharpening iron, rather than build walls between each other. Be a resource and an outside voice to address the problem or need at hand. For this to work well, businesses should retain a paramount focus, rather than trying to do it all. It is challenging to make it work - in any industry. There’s an ethical way to expand and adapt that can yield great results, helping everyone thrive.

2) David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story” is a simple, powerful story that effectively uses time as an elemental force, where pacing acts almost as character. Not just from this year, but resonant nevertheless, Peaky Blinders is a vintage story that feels extremely modern in part because of the incredible use of music. And Black Mirror is a chilling comment on our times. People say that everyone has shorter and shorter attention spans, but the consumption of serialized entertainment, like binge-watching Game of Thrones or podcasts like S-Town demonstrate the sustaining power of storytelling to still capture the imagination for hours on end.

3) Gillette’s film “Handle With Care,” through Grey is one of my favorite advertising projects of the year, and I’m obviously not alone based on the award wins. It is a niche product, a razor designed for assisted shaving, that was launched with a piece that is about family bonds and the imperceptible things that can make a big difference to quality of life. If you watch it with dry eyes, you probably kept them closed.

4) Community engagement is becoming an important part of our industry. From brands that are helping effect change to organizations looking to add meaning and value to members. The AICP Southwest recently held a volunteer day where members worked at a Dallas farm which was established to grow food and support a neighborhood that’s historically experienced an urban food drought. Our goal, as a chapter, is to do more of this kind of participation. Brands also have the ability to do the same on a wider level - changemaking that can boost brand image and help others.

5) The recent award show winners affirm that the best work makes people care. People are so sophisticated with their approach to media - they are perpetually surrounded by technology and brands, and a contrived approach is quickly dismissed or ignored. We are living in an age of bombardment and selection - people filter out what is a cheap sell, but give them something that emotionally resonates, something that respects one’s time spent, and you can create powerful brand appeal and loyalty.

1) I think there are a group of ‘Influencers’ across social platforms that are resonating with clients and consumers and I see them playing a bigger role in advertising as we move into the future They have a built in consumer base with followers and their perspectives and voices can be unique, organic to the process and they’re creating and curating messages in a nimble, artful way.

2) The Paradoxes of Chanel -The Film
I love the way font, texture and language are used so seamlessly together.

5) Sandy Hook Promise “Evan” was outstanding and I applaud the award shows for recognizing this important piece of work and social commentary.

1) Money seems to be moving away from the advertising industry, and agencies are facing competition from every side. Many of my colleagues and friends have left agency jobs to work directly for clients and marketing consultant firms. Google and Facebook continue to Hoover up some of our talent.

I think this is a trend that will continue to accelerate, but at the moment, we don’t tend to play in the same spaces as Facebook and Google. For instance, we rarely face off against them in a pitch situation.

2) The Audi VR Sandbox by the MediaMonks https://www.mediamonks.com/vr-ar/work/audi-enter-sandbox. Often, people use technology to complicate things. “Enter Sandbox” uses technology to simplify a useful and playful idea that shows off the car’s features. Visitors create a track in the physical sandbox, and then “drive” the new Audi Q5 in VR around the space to test the car’s off-road capability. When I saw the work, I wished that I had created it.

And a great idea paired with a film that resonates is always going to break through: The inspirational musical trailer “We’re the Super Humans,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk which promoted Channel 4’s broadcast of the 2016 Summer Paralympics Games in Rio, certainly fits the bill. Incidentally, Cannes’ 2017 Film Grand Prix winner was created by in-house unit 4Creative, not an advertising agency.

3) The Lego Movie was the ultimate branded entertainment advertisement—a 90-minute commercial about the spirit of play and invention starring… the product. We try to create these abstract concepts that have these connections to brands, and here’s this great story that’s epic and ambitious, yet simply about the experience of playing with Lego. And it’s the gift that keeps on giving with this year’s Lego Batman Movie.

4) It’s going to get interesting. Publicis Groupe, our agency’s holding company, is disrupting the industry with the launch of Marcel, a new AI-based platform that’s designed to connect our 80,000 global employees, enhance decision-making and improve creativity for our clients. It’s an ambitious project, and we plan to skip Cannes and other 2018 awards show to concentrate on this venture.

5) I’m not really devoting much attention to analyzing the results of awards shows—I pay more attention to the work my peers are sharing and celebrating. There’s been a tendency to reward the art of our industry and not the business results. Naturally, I love the craft, and all my friends work in the post-production side of the business. I believe we need creativity to solve business problems, but it can’t just be art for art’s sake. If our work isn’t getting business results, we won’t be working much longer.

6) Team One opened an Artificial Intelligence lab in 2016 to explore the possibilities of the creative uses of machine learning. I see a huge opportunity to use this technology to create experiences that defy our clients’ expectations and create magic for consumers. We made a short film called An Artificially Intelligent Director https://youtu.be/XZbcxsHb4Y0 to chronicle our process of creating a movie that was conceived, directed and edited entirely by machines.

We’ve also increased our headcount, investments and efforts in the immersive virtual and augmented reality fields (VR and AR). Team One was one of the first agencies to introduce these technologies to clients and new business prospects, and we’ve had a great deal of success using them to present thought leadership ideas and create consumer-facing work. They have been especially popular among our premium and luxury brand clients, which are all about presenting authentic, superior experiences.

1) There has been a real change in the way influencers have been tapped to be part of branding efforts. 2017 showed a new high watermark for weaving together brands with people who strongly influence lifestyle. It’s grown beyond the concept of celebrity endorsements of the last decade. Now they’ve evolved into true partnerships.

2) Our film for Google Impact Challenge | Canada was a real high point for our team. It didn’t involve broadcast or a product of any sort. 10 life-changing charities were competing for a grant block of hundreds of thousands of dollars. We were literally showing in animated form how much these organizations could change the lives of ordinary Canadians. It was a real honor to be part of something like that.

3) No one piece of media stands alone anymore. Timber helped create a commercial that aired during the Billboard Music Awards for the iON360 that was a component to a bigger collaboration between trendsetters and marketing professionals. The device was used at the awards. The presenters, the entertainers, the live audience and the people watching at home all had varying degrees of exposure to this brand, so 2017 has shown us really interesting ways to tie things together so that people can make connections.

4) The rules are going to continue to crumble, only faster. The roles people play from conception to execution are shifting like sand. Companies are learning to change and adapt through partnerships and working outside of their usual comfort zones. It’s fun to watch and be a part of.

1) More and more clients have incorporated in-house production capabilities, while others are simply getting savvier with production in general, creating even more competition in our world. Agencies need to evolve to show they are actually better, smarter, faster, and cheaper than the alternative in order to survive. This will require smarter staffing plans, clearly defined roles (hybrid roles and/or multi-taskers), and confidence with clients.

2) I actually cried when I first saw Google’s “Year in Search”. The highly relevant piece was just so well edited with the perfect balance of highlights to lowlights. It left me feeling hopeful and connected to people with the same mindset of moving forward.

3) I was so impressed by Nike’s “Breaking2”. Seeing amazing athletes train to break a 2 hour marathon is entertaining in itself, but then watching them in the live marathon event was even better. Even though none of the competitors broke 2 hours, it proved that no one can deny that the sub 2 hour marathon is out of the realm of possibility any longer. There was a holistic campaign around the effort, the runners, and the innovation required to make it happen. I may be a little biased, because I am a marathon runner, but it sucked me in and for the first time ever, I’ll run my next marathon in Nike’s. I can’t wait for the documentary.

4) I think clients will continue to increase the amount of project work with agencies/production company direct, veering further from committing to an agency of record, thus creating highly competitive opportunity for everyone.

5) It tells us that ads with social purpose are most liked, impactful, and needed, at time when there is so much negativity and political unrest! Fearless Girl and Love Has No Labels were my favorites. Those executions were so smart.

1) I think one of the most exciting things for our industry in 2017 is the coming wave of Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Though AR has been gaining steam in recent years, this year marks a turning point for the technology, which blends digital objects with live photo and video on mobile devices. This is in part fueled by Apple’s soon-to-be released iOS 11, which features their new ARKit development framework, allowing for AR content. The examples I’ve seen so far (http://www.madewitharkit.com/) indicate that this cutting-edge technology is the next frontier for creative content. I can’t wait to see how people use this once they have it in their hands, and I definitely want to create experiences for this next generation format.

2) One piece I keep coming back to this year is a Pearle Vision spot from Energy BBDO Chicago called “Ben’s Glasses.” I won’t spoil it (you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4PbTeOIHe4), but it tells a story that is simple, universal, and emotional. Moreover, it does so using beautiful, classical techniques while still feeling thoroughly modern. “Ben’s Glasses” is both current and timeless. It’s a reminder that, whatever exciting new path our industry leads us down, a compelling story well told will always catch one’s attention. Even, and maybe especially, for something as simple as a visit to the eye doctor.

1) I see a notable resurgence of optimism in the business inspired by range of creative opportunities that are popping up.

2) The emphasis and regard for craft and execution have been very inspiring this year—- from Kenzo, Sandy Hook, Morton Salt, Under Armor, The Atlantic were some of my favorites.

3) Geico and Old Spice seem to lead the way year after year.

4) We will have to continue to work our butts off and bring inspiration and drive to everything we do.

5) Intelligent and original ideas standout and awards matter.

1) More than ever, the ideas that get talked about are the ones that take a position in the world. We’ve seen this happen this year in both extremely positive and negative ways. It was interesting that the Fearless Girl phenomenon and the Pepsi Kendall Jenner backlash happened within a month of each other. If you’re going to take a stand, it’s got to be in a way that is authentic to the brand.

2) At McCann, we are obviously immensely proud of the way Fearless Girl struck a chord. But there has been so much great work across the industry. I loved the Sandy Hook Promise film from BBDO.
You also happen to be catching me on the day after I saw Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk in Imax – I found it incredibly moving. Brilliantly directed. Despite many people deciding that movies are no longer where the interesting stuff is happening, they still have incredible potential to move people.

3) I love the Adidas Original is Never Finished anthem. Amazing use of music and talent.

4) I continue to think it’s a really exciting time for the industry. Technology means that the impact we can have is larger and more immediate than ever before. This will continue to become even more dramatic over the coming year.

5) I think you’re seeing innovation for innovation’s sake on the way out. The best ideas are using technology but in service of the idea. Not the other way around. This is a really good thing.
One thing that was nice to see to see at Cannes this year was a renewed sense of energy around the film categories. Work like the We’re the Superhumans showed that film can be more vital than ever. But back to question 1, it has to take a position.

6) It’s actually the oldest technology – people. We’re investing in people who are excited about and open to all the possibilities of the age we’re living in.

1) In focusing on the positive, given so many negative ways to answer this question, I would say the excitement around AR with the wider adoption of mobile-based AR. When Apple released their development kit and news of web-based AR likely to be on the new iPhone, excitement just exploded. I love AR for its ability to apply to any vertical and think that, with advancements in live visual detection, we will see a new age of daily exploration.

2) I thought “Boost Your Voice” and “Evan” served as perfect examples of how to properly use marketing as a platform to affect positive change. For the sake of pure enjoyment, how can you not love what Droga did for MailChimp? On a completely unrelated note, I just saw how Kimbal Musk has beautifully disrupted agriculture using shipping containers – it blew me away.

3) This question is such a big one if you think about the last several years and insane if you consider it historically. I will say that the Red Bull Stratos project operated as a perfect blend of advertising and entertainment with incredibly effective creative. It was a perfect stunt with amazing technical achievement that had us on the edge of our seats and ultimately changed the thinking around the possible execution of branded content. Fearless Girl had impeccable timing and underlying strategy. I will say that I think it shortchanged the existing art, but it generated buzz for a reason and, for the most part, really made people smile. Rarely does an ad become so iconic so quickly — this one truly did hit the masses.

4) The overall climate right now seems grim in terms of political turmoil and division. As a result, I think we have seen more challenger ads and failed attempts to remain culturally relevant. I expect some creative campaigns to confront this climate head on with positive combat but, more so, anticipate seeing humor as a nice counter theme. After all, when everything is falling apart, nothing helps more than a good laugh. In terms of business climate, grab your popcorn and watch the Big Data + Machine Learning arms race move along.

5) I wouldn’t describe the theme of “for good” as new, but do think it will stay for a while. If you can materialize ideas that bring change to the world beyond just making us think, those concepts deserve awards and praise. I sincerely hope that this concept, which appears evident at every major awards show, continues to inspire marketers to play in this space. Even if winning awards remains their primary motivation, this approach has a societal benefit and impact, a byproduct we should all love.

6) I will have to have the new iPhone, despite an expected $1,100 price tag, given the web AR inclusion, OLED screen, and 3D camera. In terms of investment, I’d bank hard on audio synthesis, as I think the AI tools in this space will emerge in a way that revolutionizes music composition and helps humanize bots.

1) It seems the priorities in advertising have changed. The current trend is pushing quantity over quality. With all the opportunities and placements for advertising across all media, there seems to be less thought and care that goes into developing and executing good creative ideas. Everything is over tested and safe, which has led to most advertising being uninspired and overdone. There is an illusion is that there are fewer opportunities to flex our creative muscles and utilize our craft. But now is the time to break through the white noise and create something sophisticated, daring and bold; pure entertainment that will resonate with viewers.

4) Advertising used to be entertainment. People would watch and be engaged by commercials on television. The dynamic has changed dramatically. Thinking beyond today in the near future, I believe that viewers will push back and turn off the ads whenever/wherever they can. There is an overabundance of advertising being pushed to viewers. We tend to create what is falsely considered suitable for their tastes and forgot about what is engaging and compelling. If we just get back to the basics and offer entertaining and emotional stories, we will have a better way to connect with the targeted customers.

6) Technology doesn’t make the craft, people do. We don’t see enhancements in technology as a creative solution. If anything, technology, with all its advantages, is actually hurting the creative process by taking away the layers and depth that is required for high level creative, as it is just a tool. Giving someone a hammer does not make them a carpenter.

1) 2017 has validated the simple fact that the industry is ever changing. Broadening your scope, outreach and offerings is vital if you want to stay relevant. Partnering with other like minded people and entities to help solve clients problems is crucial. Being more than a service company has been one of our goals. Whether it’s direct to brand work or offering up solutions to clients that don’t have the budgets that they once had and help to solve their problems is imperative. Being agile and nimble in 2017 and beyond is and will be the new normal.

2) The Nike Equality campaign from Wieden+Kennedy was inspiring from the moment we saw the first pass of the agency script. The message was timely and compelling and it wasn’t an attempt to push the brand which is a delicate and fine line.

4) You have to open new doors. Being reactive is never a good business model. Along with our focus in animation and VFX for the advertising community, we have launched a sister company called Trio Media Ventures. Through our partners in Trio, we have begun development on a full length feature animated film with a Chinese based media company. For us, this has been a great opportunity to show what we are capable of, in addition it gives us the opportunity to tap into our network and talent pool. It also gives us the opportunity to leverage this experience and show what we can offer up to clients not only in the Ad world but other business sectors that we traditionally wouldn’t be exposed to such as non-profits, education and publishing companies to name a few.

1) I recently read an article by Nadya Powell called “Dear John: a breakup letter to the advertising community.” Nadya writes about how creating campaigns in response to the data is killing advertising. We’re racing to the bottom.

To an extent, I agree with her because I think a lot of advertising is playing it safe these days. We’re feeding viewers what we think they want to hear instead of challenging them. I got into this business to shape culture, not to react to it. When we get boards that push the envelope and embrace creativity, we fight for them like our lives and livelihoods depend on it. They just aren’t common anymore. I’m not sure who to blame - data, the clients diversifying, or the amount of content needed now to feed the beast - but we need more fearless creativity. I believe in the revival of the advertising golden age.

2) I hear the statement “I don’t see why I have to choose” play in my head a lot after watching Daniele Anastasion’s “Run Mama Run”. The ESPNw series tracks runner Sarah Brown as she trains for the Olympic trials while pregnant. Daniele’s series resonated with me because it asked “can we build our careers and our families at the same time?” Advertising and commercial production life aren’t known for being family friendly. Overall, stories like Run Mama Run have made me more aware of work-life balance with my team, because I think it’s important to grow ourselves at home and in the workplace.

3) The kind of adverts that make me emotionally invested in a character are more likely to stick with me. But they don’t have to be heavy hearted stories necessarily. I recently watched Erich and Kallman’s “Grumpy Old 4th Graders” campaign and felt for the 4th graders as they watched the 3rd graders have it easy. I gobbled up all 4 spots one after the other because I could relate to the aging 4th graders - and they were just incredibly funny. They touch on a simple human insecurity and poke fun at it, while selling Gogurt. Brilliant.

4) On the agency side, I think longer format story based advertising is becoming more common. It allows the brand to maximize their production dollars and receive assets for all media platforms. In addition, it makes them more competitive to turn around content quickly and make more impressions on their audience across the multiple platforms.

5) The awards show winners tell us that story is still king. They also show a new support for female voices in an industry that is still learning to listen for and develop those voices.

6) We’re constantly trying to be more collaborative remotely via the cloud, using programs like Dropbox, Google Docs and Slack (though I’ve had to work on that one). This cloud-based working culture allows us to be more accountable from wherever we are and act quicker. I’m not tied to an office, which I love.

1) Impressions, impressions, impressions. When you produce more content, you get more impressions. Does that mean they are good impressions? Is our future about impressions or good work? Quality and craft are the foundation of our business. Quality over quantity. Less is more.

2) “Fearless Girl” and “We’re the Superhumans” were so good. Simple and thoughtful. Great concepts that were well executed. Plays to less is more.

3) I would say “Fearless Girl” by far. The message is strong and timely. Simple and thoughtful. The “impressions” were there because it was impressive. Relevant. In this case, do the impressions matter? No. It’s great for what it is and that’s why people reacted the way they did.

4) I don’t believe in crystal balls but love the Magic 8 Ball. I’d love to see thoughtful and meaningful work that has an impact on human beings. Don’t get me wrong, I realize we’re in a business of selling goods or services. My hope is to be part of and see work that makes a difference.

5) The recent awards shows have shown that things that make a difference will be recognized. Good work in general will be recognized. I’d love to see a lot more good work in general which will come from clients being fearless while not focusing on impressions. Look at Superhumans, Audi “Duel”, etc. Simple and entertaining.

1) Quality video content and “cause” marketing is particularly relevant today. Brands are starting to understand that in order to connect with people, they must stand for something and be involved in a positive cause. On the other hand, as marketers continue to increase their spend on mobile video, there is a desire for increasing the quality and production value of the content in a way that remains engaging, organic but impactful.

2) The Story Room’s American Girl doll stop-motion animation web series on YouTube for Mattel (Season 1) was a particular phenomenon because the young fans of the doll became obsessed with our content that essentially was a tutorial for young girls to produce their own stop motion animation. We then referred to the influencers who were already driving a significant audience with their own stop-motion animation in our series, which made it all a circular and inclusive program. You can watch a preview here: http://agzcrew.com/webby/short-form/

4) We believe there will be a surge of VR content in the industry for the next few years. It is going to raise the bar in terms of producing and delivering accessible content to audiences in the VR world.

5) Storytelling is the driver, regardless of the medium. Despite digital efforts to saturate audiences with brands, those few select creatives who understand the basics of a story – characters, tension, resolution—will succeed. It is not easy with certain brands, but if you try hard enough, you can deliver a quality craft to build brands.

6) Today, our investment is in talented storytellers more than in technology. Yes we are creating bots for clients and new platforms for others, but the north star is always that evasive narrative that is interesting, compelling and intriguing enough to lure savvy consumers today to actually stop and pay attention to your story. Be interesting. It’s all you’ve got.