Tag Archives: advertising
Ed Castillo Is Not Your Average Strategist-Philosopher-Foreign Agent
Ed Castillo’s post-Amherst path might be one of the most uniquely purposeful stories you’ll hear from our classmates. In this episode, we follow his journey from a philosophy major at Amherst to advertising Chief Strategy Officer – and registering and acting as a foreign agent. He may not drive an Aston Martin and pack a Walther PPK, but the man loves words and has a very spicey take on reading that will get you thinking.
Highlights from our conversation:
🧠 Why Ed pursued philosophy not despite, but because of his desire to work in advertising
🛑 His early career “failure” that helped him find the field where overthinking is a superpower
📊 The limitation inherent in marketing degrees—and what he’s actually looking for when hiring
📚 His provocative argument against reading as the best vehicle for knowledge
🎯 How multicultural marketing needs to evolve beyond identity clichés
💜 The Amherst classmates he wants me to interview next
Big thanks to Lee Maicon for nominating Ed.
Lee Maicon Sees A 1994 Revolution in Advertising
Lee Macon has worked in advertising through arguably its greatest transformations. He began at the dawn of the consumer internet, navigated the shift to social media, and now is helping clients figure out AI. As the Chief Strategy Officer at the Community, a global creative agency, Lee oversees strategic efforts for major clients like Verizon, Netflix, and Porsche. When he’s not helping his clients grow, Lee is a dedicated father, navigating the challenges of parenting across different generations.
In this interview, you’ll learn about:
Why our graduating year of 1994 represents a line of demarcation in the advertising world, separating the world of pre- and post-digital.
The importance of understanding diverse audiences.
The evolution of advertising strategies over the years.
Balancing short-term and long-term marketing goals.
Whom in the Class of 1994 he wants me to interview next.
You can email Lee at lee@leemaicon.com.
How Mo Said And Mojo Supermarket Build Meaningful Brands, Banish Bad Advertising
Mo Said is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Mojo Supermarket, an award-winning creative agency that has had an extraordinary run of acclaimed campaigns for the likes of Adidas, Netflix, and Savage x Fenty. That’s not a fluke. Said and Mojo Supermarket are selective. They work only with brands that are willing to go on a journey to address a few simple but potentially uncomfortable questions, the answers to which will determine how they can become distinctive.
In this episode, Mo tells us about:
Mojo’s unique approach to uncovering brand attributes that will ignite passion and attract diehard fans
Why he left a blue chip agency like Droga5 to start his own business
How his experience as a Pakistani immigrant has empowered him to question everything
Examples of the company’s best work
The top marketing trends that are likely to emerge over the next three-to-six months
Five Voices Of Assurance And Optimism For Navigating COVID-19
I’ve been hosting livestream shows (“Simulmedia Live”) for Simulmedia since the summer of 2019 and have had the privilege of talking to some awfully smart people from top brands, agencies, cable networks, and the investing community. Ever since we’ve started working from home, though, we’ve featured guests who I like to refer to as a […]
What I’ve Learned About Being A Livestream Host
Having hosted 15 livestream programs for my employer, Simulmedia, I can confidently say at least one thing about the experience. After watching me, no one is going to forget Anderson Cooper. Or Chris Wallace. Or Pat Sajak, Captain Kangaroo, The Church Lady – or, in fact, any other professional broadcasting host who comes to mind. Our […]
In-House Or Agency?
When it comes to whether a brand should hire an agency or bring the work in-house, ask yourself this: is the activity in question revenue generating?
[Webinar] How Legacy Brands Can Compete in a Direct-To-Consumer Economy – My Conversation With LUMA Partners CEO Terry Kawaja
Last week, I hosted an ANA webinar with LUMA Partners CEO and Founder Terry Kawaja to talk about the rise of the direct brand economy and what traditional advertisers can do to compete. Many of you may know LUMA Partners for its LUMAscapes visualizations of various ecosystems – here’s the one they created for ad […]
Apple’s Mobile Marketing Dilemma
Within Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, you’ll find a company with a loathing mistrust of modern advertising. Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said of companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, “They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company […]
This Device Quietly Outnumbers Smartphones And Attracts More Ad Dollars, And Yet The Mobile Economy Must Avoid Its Fate.
Today, the world’s population enjoys nearly universal access to a particular device that drives massive levels of engagement and commerce. Let’s see if you can guess what it is. As of 2011, on average there were 2.2 of these devices per capita in the industrialized world. Worldwide, 4 billion of these existed as of 2011, meaning […]
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