WEBVTT - Speed Over Perfection with Lisa Sherman 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:14.000 What's up on Laura Curni And I'm Alexa Kristen. Welcome 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:17.200 back to at Landia episode two. So we have a 0:00:17.239 --> 0:00:20.840 great guest this episode, Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.680 the AD Council. But before we get into the interview, 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:27.760 we want to thank the ad Landia community. What welcome 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:32.599 back tweets, the emails, the reposts. You gotta listen to 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:36.400 this show. Amazing, it felt so good to be back. 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:38.920 Didn't feel good to be back. It's awesome. And big 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.159 shout out to Sara Fisher over at Axios for the 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.720 awesome coverage on the relaunch of the show. If you're 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:47.440 not already subscribing to Axios Media Trends newsletter, make sure 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:49.640 you go check that out. One of the best newsletters 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:52.080 in the business. So Alexa, with that, let's get into 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:54.880 the interview. So we got in touch with Lisa actually 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:57.840 at the beginning of COVID to do this episode because 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:01.960 what the AD Council was doing was they were quickly responding, 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:04.800 working with the White House and the CDC to get 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:08.920 the message out about COVID safety, health, et cetera. And 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:11.120 I think what's really important, and Laura, you said this 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:14.360 to me was that there was such a focus on 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:18.480 speed over perfection. And I think that that message for 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.400 the industry and actually all of us as individuals. Sometimes 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:25.200 we grind, right, we grind getting it perfect, but that's 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.160 not the point. Always point is just get it out, 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:32.200 start getting a response, start gathering community, start getting your 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:35.440 audience rallied. And I think that the AD Council is 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.120 one of the most important organizations in the industry and 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:43.039 actually in the country to get things out into the 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:47.279 world that are like critical societal issues. So really excited 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:51.600 about this interview. Over to Visa Sherman. We'll be right 0:01:51.640 --> 0:02:02.680 back and we're back if Lisa Sherman, President and CEO 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:07.760 of AD Council. So excited to have Lisa on the show. Welcome, Welcome, Lisa. 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:10.200 I'm as excited to be here as you guys are 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:13.320 to have me. Thank you so much, Lisa. We have 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.120 so much to talk about. We want to turn it 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:19.640 over to you to share with at Landia. What AD 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.800 Council is A bit of a crash course on the 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:25.520 history of it, um and and sort of where you 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:30.079 see it going. Terrific. It's my favorite topic. Um So 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.480 you know, I like to think of the ad Council 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:37.440 as the place where creativity and causes converge, and our 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:40.720 mission is really to use the power of communications to 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:44.480 take on the most important issues facing our country and 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.400 our roots. Interestingly enough, go all the way back to 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:52.080 World War Two when the country was about to go 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:56.760 to war. Was right after Pearl Harbor Um and FDR 0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:00.280 actually understood the power of communications and called all of 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:04.000 the leaders of the advertising community to Washington to brief 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.400 them on the war effort, and then he convinced them 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:10.880 to develop advertising campaigns to get the country behind the 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:14.080 war effort. So things like war bonds came out of 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.040 that initial effort. It used to be called the War 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:22.040 Advertising Council. Actually UM Loose lips sink ships a very 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:25.840 famous ad um that came out of that period of time, 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:29.280 and they use the model that we use today. Agencies 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:33.680 and content creators developed the work. Media companies made sure 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:38.040 that the messages were seen by by the right people 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.640 and brands where they're supporting them UM, And that's exactly 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.880 what we're doing today. Obviously, they're way more content creators, 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:50.320 way more media platforms. Brands are playing very different roles UM. 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.640 But that's what we do so, Lisa, fast forward to 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:56.160 here you are as the CEO of the AD Council 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.440 during a global pandemic. Can you take us through with 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.040 the last few months have been like for the AD 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:05.880 Council was wired for times like this, that's what we do. UM. 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:09.200 When we heard the day that the WHO declared COVID 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:12.640 nineteen a pandemic, we were on the phone with our 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:16.680 partners at the CDC and and HHS asking what we 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.760 could do, because it was very clear early on that 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:24.640 we needed to get fact based, tangible information into the 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.200 hands of the American public so they knew what to do, 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:30.080 they knew how to take care of themselves. UM. And 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.880 so literally we reached out to a couple of our 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:37.240 partners are our friends at NBCUniversal, our friends at Viacom, 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:42.560 CBS UM and over a weekend we stood up two 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:45.719 massive campaigns that we got into the market in five days. 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:52.840 They all focused on early days. UM, social distancing, a 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.920 term we've never heard of really, UM, handwashing and hygiene 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:01.280 focusing on high risk poppy relations people that were more 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:05.760 at risk of getting sick. UM and UM. Yeah, it 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:09.360 was an extraordinary It was an extraordinary effort. And you know, 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.039 I'm sort of keeping my little list of sort of 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:14.599 a COVID playbook, because you know, you don't like planned 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:18.160 to be in a crisis or a pandemic, but speed, 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:21.359 to me is one of the most important things that 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:25.960 has to happen when something like this strikes. And um, 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:30.440 we I think even surprised ourselves frankly at how quickly 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:32.200 we were able to get it done. How are you 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:36.040 guys actually able to produce this stuff? You know, the 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:40.279 the creative shops within both of those media companies handled 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.880 all of the production. UM. I know that one one 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:46.240 round of work that we did were you know Dr 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:50.280 Fauci talking to to camera, um. Dr Brex talking to camera. 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:53.280 They were shooting that stuff at the White House and 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:57.400 and literally just sending it via email to to folks, 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.720 and that's how it got done. I mean, it is crazy. 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:04.800 And then on the Viacom CBS side, they developed a 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:08.560 really brilliant platform called Alone Together, really targeting young people. 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:13.320 Um they used their own talent who were all calling 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.880 in from home and shooting stuff on their phones. Um. 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.760 They use great animation. And I think that the trick 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:23.479 that allowed us to scale so quickly is that we 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:28.039 did everything open source. So we created a set of assets. 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:31.080 We then said, but if you don't want to use 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.400 those assets, if you're a media, if you have a 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.640 platform that you want to use, we'll send you the scripts. 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:39.600 You can shoot your own stuff um or we'll give 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:42.600 you a creative brief and you can do your own 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.040 thing as long as it's true to the brief. And 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:49.120 people were just grabbing stuff and wanting to help. It 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.599 was like everybody just wanted a job. And everybody took 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:56.000 that those assets and those the ability to do their 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:59.000 own thing and just started producing tons of work and 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:01.280 getting it out there. Like think in the first two 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:04.359 weeks we had over fifty million dollars and donated media 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.039 an hour, up over two hundred million in the first 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:11.240 eight weeks, and you've reached like billions and billions of 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:15.640 impressions and it's phenomenal. I mean, when you're talking about 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:17.880 the ad Council and Laura and I have been in 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.600 the industry for a while now, is that something that's 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:24.080 going to last post COVID, This idea of open source, 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:26.880 Like how do you take an issue and actually create 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:31.440 open source you know, content creative? Well, I certainly think 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.200 for the work that we do. I am all in 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:38.760 on that idea because you know, we would traditionally work 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:43.760 with a single agency UM to produce work, which was 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.360 always fantastic. I mean, Smokey Bear has been around for 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:49.400 seventy five years and FCB has been doing that work 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:52.640 for seventy five years, which is extraordinary when you think 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:56.440 about it. UM. But when you need to scale fast 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:00.080 and you need to move quickly, I think the ability 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:05.320 to give people the tools to do it themselves, UM, 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:07.680 as long as it's true to the brief, why not. 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.760 It's interesting because unfortunately I don't think COVID is going 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:15.000 to be our last public health crisis, right, and so 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:18.920 speed is now a new metric UM. But it's like 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:23.760 absolutely critical. It's truly about people's lives. I think the 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:27.560 other thing is that UM, the AD Council is that 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:32.800 place where competitive brands, competitive agencies, competitive media companies really 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:35.640 always come together because there is a higher calling and 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:41.199 a higher purpose. And I think that you know, for CBS, 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:45.320 viacom and and NBCUniversal to produce things that were brand agnostic, like, 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:48.960 it wasn't about getting the credit. It was about helping 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:53.280 solve a massive problem. And that's part of the the 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:57.640 amazing secret sauce of the AD Council and this industry 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:01.120 when we come together, um to to work on these issues. 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.720 Are there best practices as you look back over the 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.240 course of the last few months that you might offer 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.560 to brands who are still sort of in this space 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:12.160 of figuring out when is the right time to step 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:17.199 in with what message. I have really been like listening 0:09:17.240 --> 0:09:20.280 to others and and trying to absorb and learn and 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:22.360 and so just just observe our own teams and what 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:24.600 we're doing. And I do have a couple of things 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.160 that I'm certainly happy to share. I mean, one of 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:29.720 the things I will share is that people should be 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:33.679 sharing more, you know, um, we can all learn from 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:36.400 each other. And and there's no pride of authorship in 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:40.320 some of this stuff. Quick decisions, not time for perfection, 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.040 The ability to be agile, the ability to pivot. I mean, 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.480 we were talking to the CDC every single day, and 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:48.800 on any given day there was a pivot and we 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:51.960 would have to figure out, literally in a phone call, 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:54.080 what we were going to do the next day to 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.079 adopt to either a new set of messaging or an 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.280 adjustment to a message like that stuff we never thought 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:04.560 we could do before. So speed is critical. I think 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.160 what's so interesting is that as we all adjust to 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:11.720 a new reality, we might reveal a better reality. We agree, 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:13.959 what's the thing that surprised you or your team the 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:16.600 most in this process? You know? I think, look, we 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:20.240 all have process right, and our processes are especially at 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.000 a seventy five year old company organization like ours, like 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:27.800 they're very entrenched, and we tell ourselves all the reasons 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.280 why we can't change the process until you have to, 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:32.880 and all of a sudden, you just got to get 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.280 stuff done. You know, you don't have to get it 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.480 approved by ten people. Two people say let's go, and 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:42.600 you go. Now, look, I mean that's what happened, and 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.640 I don't think you can survive in that mode, you know, 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:49.400 when you're sort of back to normal. But but there's 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:52.839 a version of that that has to go forward. How 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:54.400 do you start to set the agenda and what you're 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.640 focusing on. So look, I mean, you know, if if 0:10:57.720 --> 0:10:59.840 your mission, our mission is to take on the most 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:01.960 boordant issues facing the country, and we know there are 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.800 no shortage of issues, it's mostly really about how do 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:10.880 you prioritize the ones that warrant the resources and the 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:14.800 talents of this industry to get behind. And so, you know, 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.040 many many people come to us with issues. But we 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:21.400 we have an Advisory Committee UM, which is really like 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:26.000 a think tank that's made up of educators, social scientists, 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:31.240 UM policy people that are studying, educators that are studying 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:34.120 what these issues are, and then they help us really 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:37.959 think about is the issue of big enough scale right? 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.600 Is it is? It doesn't warrant us really sort of 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.720 convening the industry behind it. Is it something that communications 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.839 can really make a difference in moving the needle? Is 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:52.800 there a specific target audience? Is there a specific call 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:57.240 to action? What are you asking people to do? We also, 0:11:57.320 --> 0:11:59.640 I think and I think one of the reasons that 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:03.160 the ACT Council is so successful, especially in times like this, 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.680 is that we are a nonpartisan organization, you know, and 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:09.800 I like to say that while I don't believe any 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:12.720 of these issues are political issues, I believe almost every 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:16.679 issue today seems to get politicized in some way, and 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:20.000 so we're sort of the honest broker. If it comes 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:24.200 from the ad Council, people understand that it's science based, 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.400 it's fact based. We're able to speak to both sides 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.240 and have this amazing ability to thread the needle on 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:33.760 issues that can be difficult. And so we take all 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:37.120 of that into consideration, um and then we make some 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:39.480 decisions about what we're gonna what we're going to support. 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.880 On any given year, we'll probably take on two to 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:44.800 three new issues, and many of the issues we have 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.840 we've been running for a long time because the other 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:50.160 thing is we don't take we don't do short term 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:53.720 stuff like our goal is to solve the problem, and 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:56.400 when you're trying to change behavior, that doesn't happen over 0:12:56.480 --> 0:13:02.040 now stop amazing for every marketer out there, If you're 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:06.880 really truly trying to solve something, it's usually not going 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:09.560 to be a short term thing. You've got to be in. 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:13.360 So we make commitments for a minimum of three years. 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:15.400 When we take an issue on, we know we're taking 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.040 it on for a minimum of three years. And then, 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:19.920 as I said, many of our our issues have been 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:23.760 around for ten twenty more more than that. How do 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.800 people currently get involved in AD Council supporting AD Council 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.040 and what are things that you've been thinking about that 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:33.760 might be different than the way things have been done, 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:38.240 But you're you're very open to potentially exploring. So I think, look, 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:42.720 the model really still holds. We are comprised of every 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.720 aspect of the ecosystem of our industry. So we've got 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:52.440 agencies who want to help and be assigned an issue. UM. 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:55.040 And when we get a new issue and we're thinking 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:57.680 about taking a new issue on, we think about who 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.000 would be the right agency to do that. And we've 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:03.559 broadened our portfolio of agencies so much in the last 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:07.480 several years. UM, as we're talking here, I think going 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:11.360 forward we might think about multiple agencies or other content 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:17.319 creation partners who can participate in a more open sourced way. UM, 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:21.120 we look at how do we develop the right media 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.240 strategy and get these messages to the right person at 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:26.160 the right place at the right time. If you have 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.160 a platform, we would love to work with you in 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:34.400 helping to get our messages out. And then of course, UM, 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:38.080 we're always looking at innovation, and UM we're working you know, 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.840 just in COVID, like two or three weeks in we 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:46.360 created the first private marketplace for nonprofits with partners like 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.960 Cadrion and Engine and the Trade Desk who helped us 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:52.680 stand this thing up and was we're I think we've 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:55.960 served I don't know, a hundred million oppressions already all 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:59.840 donated like that something that we talked about doing, and 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.320 we knew that it would really be helpful to us 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:08.720 in our longer term strategy. But again, quickness, speed, necessity. 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:12.360 We got it done in two weeks. UM. So I 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:14.800 think if you have ideas, um and then if there 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:16.840 are certain issues, like Laura, you and I have talked, 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:19.480 if there are issues they you and your team are 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.400 interested in, we have lots of groups that sort of 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.920 deepen those issues. If it's something around climate change or immigration, 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:28.520 we will find ways to plug people in. Because our 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:32.680 model doesn't work unless we've got lots of hands on deck. 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:37.400 How are you measuring impact coming out of activity that 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:42.000 the ADD Council's leading every single campaign, before we even 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:45.760 presented for approval, we lay out what's success look like. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.440 How do we define whether we're gonna really move the 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:50.960 needle on this issue? So it tends to be very 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:56.400 issue specific. Um. You know, just recent example, early days 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:59.560 of COVID, our goal was to get as many people 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.880 to this CDC website to get information on how to 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:07.440 take care of themselves. Um. And so we were able 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.680 to track what we were able to do there, you know, 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.000 with the media that we had and the scale that 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:16.240 we were able to quickly create. I can tell you 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.560 how many people went to the website, probably thirty million people. 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:23.120 But I do think some of that did help to 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.680 begin flattening the curve that we've seen. But I look 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:29.360 at Love has No Labels. I think about a much 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:35.160 bigger impact into the zeit geist of the country. How 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:36.720 are you looking at that? I mean, if you have 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.960 the think tank and the data scientists and folks like 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:44.320 that are are you are you looking at the lasting 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:48.800 fabric of a conversation that you're creating as well? So 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:51.000 for Love has No Labels, I mean that is true 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:55.800 behavior chains right, Um? How do I first of all, 0:16:56.920 --> 0:17:01.360 am I aware of my own unconscious by us? Um? 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:05.360 Does that allow me to think differently with that awareness 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:09.359 about how I see other people? And that we're really 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:12.280 tracking and have been tracking over the last five years 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:16.640 through uh continuous tracking study, asking these very specific questions 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:20.359 and have seen double digit increases in in that. But 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.960 look here we are. I mean, xenophobia is rearing. It's horrible, 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.240 you know, ugly head um, And so we have a 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.680 we have a lot of work to do. Are there 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:34.840 insights are best practices that you can share that brands 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:38.240 should consider can consider when they think about taking on 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.440 initiatives that have that level of impact that go far 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.399 beyond transaction. To me, it all starts with values, like 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:47.240 I think you have to you have to be very 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.880 grounded in values and the sense of purpose of an organization. 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:56.000 Like if you don't have a cultural compass that guides you, um, 0:17:56.119 --> 0:18:01.760 then you're not really able to authentic lee fulfill this 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:06.399 idea of purpose driven marketing. Um. I'm much more about 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:10.320 substance over form, Like I feel like you've gotta walk 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:12.159 the talk. You've got to put your money where your 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.359 mouth is, And I think, um, more and more brands 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:17.359 are starting to do that. You know, I always think 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:19.399 about Beth Compstock when she says, if you see a 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:21.439 better way to do things, you have an obligation to 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.000 do them. And I think people in our industry are 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:26.679 looking for ways to give back that go beyond our 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.199 daily works. So, Lisa, how are you seeing people collaborating 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:31.680 right now? Well? Look, I mean I really feel like 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.359 the way we've been able to show up in the 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:39.040 last eight weeks has set a new bar for US 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:43.160 as an organization. And I think this idea of coalitions 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:46.919 and people coming together. I think this idea of open 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:54.520 source and brand agnostic work that allows things to scale quickly. UM. 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:58.440 I I think that UM, you know, even for us. 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:01.000 Like somebody called the other day and they wanted to 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.119 know if this was an AD Council thing, and I 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.040 heard what they were doing, and they had already put 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:07.520 a lot of the pieces together, and I'm like, we 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:09.600 don't need to own this, but if there's a place 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:11.920 in this group that you're putting together where we can 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:16.399 add some value that's not being covered, like, I'll sign 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:18.439 up for that. You know, it doesn't have to be 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:22.000 all owned and operated all the time anymore, UM, which 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.159 is new for us and I think it may be 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:27.760 new for others. And so I think there's something in 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:31.520 all of those elements UM that I believe we will 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.000 take forward and that will allow us as an industry 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.880 to do more and and drive even more impact UM 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:41.600 and to do it at a much larger scale. I'm 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:45.719 totally thinking there's an AD Council at Landia Collaboration. So 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:49.920 we're in here. It's cause Landia I can see it. 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:53.920 I love see it. But Lisa, if we can UM 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:56.240 pivot for a second, because it feels like this is 0:19:56.280 --> 0:20:00.000 something you've been doing the entirety of your career. UM. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:03.760 In a bit of our research, reading an article, UM 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:06.000 that was written by your alma mater at Dickinson, we 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:08.240 found this paragraph that I was like, Alexa, I'm going 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:10.720 to read this on on the show. UM. So if 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.919 if you're just a second, UM. Realizing that the newly 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:19.159 founded w n b A and the victorious US women's 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:22.440 soccer team had raised the public's awareness of women's sports, 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.480 this former Dickinson student athlete, which I found out you 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:29.800 played basketball and lacrosse, UM, took a calculated risk and 0:20:29.840 --> 0:20:33.159 co founded a women's sports marketing agency. It was a 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:36.199 big leap after seventeen years of the same company. But 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:39.159 I learned at Dickinson that you learned by doing, and 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.680 that when something is right, you feel it in your gut. 0:20:42.359 --> 0:20:45.280 It sounds like you've never deviated from that. Lisa, can 0:20:45.320 --> 0:20:47.919 you just take us for a second on the journey 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:54.199 from founding a women's sports marketing agency, UM, fast forward 0:20:54.240 --> 0:20:56.960 to CEO of ad Counsel. Well, I will say about 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:59.640 my career that it was not a linear career at all. 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:03.480 But what I will say in sort of looking backwards, 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:06.920 because that's the only way to sort of figure out 0:21:06.920 --> 0:21:11.560 where the dots are connected. Um. Every twist and turn, 0:21:11.600 --> 0:21:14.919 every up and down, every success and failure led to 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:18.479 the next thing. And so when people ask me, you 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:20.760 know what advice I have for them if they're starting out, 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.320 I'm like, gotta take risks you've got. You've got to 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:26.720 change it up and shake it up, because you just 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:29.040 stay in the same thing for too long, you're just 0:21:29.160 --> 0:21:32.480 not going to grow. UM. So I left the company 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:39.040 after seventeen years. UM and I followed my passion, which 0:21:39.119 --> 0:21:42.439 was sports, and at a time when women's sports was 0:21:42.520 --> 0:21:45.879 really emerging. Um and and you could just see the 0:21:45.960 --> 0:21:48.639 enthusiasm and the excitement for really in the piece that 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:51.800 you just read, um around the Olympics and the w 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:54.800 n B A and um these women athletes who are 0:21:54.800 --> 0:21:58.720 these heroes for so many of us. UM And I thought, 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:02.840 we've used sports it's as a vehicle to reach men 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:08.600 through advertising and marketing forever. But women are making all 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:11.320 the so many of the decisions in the household, Like 0:22:11.400 --> 0:22:16.080 why wouldn't we use women's sports as a vehicle two 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:20.359 for brands to reach their audiences. So that was the idea. 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:23.399 We went out and we you know, tested it with 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:26.720 a bunch of people. We raised some venture money, and 0:22:26.760 --> 0:22:31.359 we uh launched the Women's Sports Network, and UM, it 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:33.440 was the first time in my life that I did 0:22:33.480 --> 0:22:37.280 something where I lined my passion with the work that 0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:40.879 I did. And honestly, that was a cocktail that was 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:46.119 completely intoxicating. UM. I worked harder than I'd ever worked, 0:22:46.160 --> 0:22:50.959 and I was more energized and excited than I'd ever been. UM, 0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:54.640 and we had some great clients. UM, and we were 0:22:54.720 --> 0:22:58.920 cooking along pretty well. That was sort of Internet one point. Oh, 0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:03.680 and fortunately we got caught up in nine eleven. Nine 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:07.760 eleven happened the world changed. Um. You know, when you're 0:23:07.800 --> 0:23:11.720 like the new thing that brands are trying in their budgets, 0:23:11.760 --> 0:23:14.119 it's the first thing to go sort of like a 0:23:14.160 --> 0:23:16.879 moment like now, like things are getting cut. And it 0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:18.440 was very clear we were going to make it work, 0:23:18.560 --> 0:23:20.960 and so we had to shut our business down and 0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:23.240 it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. 0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:25.600 But honestly, I look back and even in that moment, 0:23:25.600 --> 0:23:30.240 I had zero regrets. I learned so much about myself 0:23:30.359 --> 0:23:33.399