"About That with Carl Mayer:" Katy Gee (Episode 11: Influencer Marketing and Building Lasting Brand Value)
In this episode of "About That", Carl Mayer speaks with Katy Gee, Senior Planner at AMS, about influencer marketing and how marketers can tap into creators to build sustained engagement, trust, and lasting brand value.
Screens Everywhere. How Strategy Catches Up IRL.
It’s NewFronts timing, the IAB showcase week when all eyes (and ears) are turned to digital platforms competing for dollars. And these days, what doesn’t have a digital component? Media lines have blurred since OEMs and retail brands became networks, since print pubs are more “phygital,” and Out Of Home is more Digital OOH (DOOH) than ever. The question now is how can brands leverage multiple platforms to earn attention and engagement, even more than awareness.
Two Valuable Days at ARF AxS 2026
Two mind-altering keynotes. Another installment of the ARF Attention Validation study and many well-chosen breakout sessions upholding the importance of context effects and how attention fits into a more complex picture of attention, emotion, motivation, and behavior. A visionary new product from Nielsen. How AI is changing everything, according to everybody, and most usefully by Shelly Palmer. A look back at ARF’s accomplishments on its 90th birthday. Honoring the late Radha Subramanyam. Awarding Howard Shimmel the Erwin Ephron Demystification Award. On the measurement front, a twice-recurring theme of industry pitching in to create great things together.
Music’s New Prime Time: YouTube's Living-Room Viewership is Gold for Advertisers
Everyone agrees on one thing: YouTube on connected TV is exploding.
Lead Human: Contessa Brewer on Turning Numbers Into Human Narratives at CNBC
In a media environment often defined by speed, outrage, and relentless information flow, CNBC correspondent Contessa Brewer brings a refreshing perspective rooted in curiosity, empathy, and human connection. In her conversation with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler on the Lead Human podcast, Contessa reflects on the leadership qualities she has observed across decades of reporting, the communication skills that shape effective leaders, and the personal experiences that have shaped her own voice as a journalist.
An Interview with Lauren Shukla, Global Category Lead at Astellas Pharma
The 2026 Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Advertising Financial Management Conference is coming to Orlando, May 3-6. The conference continues to place a focus on driving value through financial management with nuanced discussions on the state of the industry, critical economic outlooks, and thought leadership discussions from client-side and agency-side thought leaders delivering actionable insights.
Brand Strategy in an Age of Chaos and Cynicism
“Brands nowadays do not have a strategy,” Dave Morgan said to me at lunch, and I agreed. “It’s all tactics. They think that tactics are strategy,” he added.
Lead Human. Spectrum Reach’s Dan Callahan: Never Underestimate the Power of Relationships
“In the future the teams that win are going to pair data with empathy, technology with transparency, and solutions with purpose. “Watch or listen at Lead Human with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler
YouTube Isn’t Just Winning Kids’ Attention. It’s Rewriting the Household Purchase Funnel.
80% of kids say they’ve asked for something after seeing it advertised on YouTube.
Nielsen Data Show That Television is Not Declining
Some brands have told me that they are now only using TV for new product launches. Many more have positioned themselves as Digital First. And the ad revenues for television are declining even when streaming revenues are included. All of this reflects a perception that television is not as important as it once was to marketers and to audiences. However, the data do not back that up.
Lead Human: Carolyn Everson on Courage, Culture, and the Human Future of Leadership (Video)
Some leadership conversations are informative. Others are revealing. The recent Lead Human with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler conversation with Carolyn Everson belongs in the latter category.
Changing Perceptions of CTV: Growth Is Clear -- Now Comes Smarter Planning
Connected TV (CTV) continues to reshape how brands think about television advertising -- and the shift isn’t just happening among national advertisers with deep pockets.
You Are Only as Successful as Your Team: Interview with Will Ferguson of Razorfish (Video)
Lead Human with Jack Myers & Tim Spengler is joined by Will Ferguson to share how values, velocity, and military experience informs the leadership in an AI Economy
Digital Yes! But Too Much of a Good Thing No!
A new report from Dr. Augustine Fou, one of the most respected anti-fraud experts in the digital world, brings earthshaking news. It deserves a bit of background first.
Humanity as Strategy in an AI Era: Jack Myers on Insider Interviews with E.B. Moss
Throughout the episode, there is a clear rejection of deterministic thinking about AI. I resist both utopian and dystopian extremes.
Five Things I'm Most Looking Forward to at ANA Brand Masters | ICONS 2026
As we head toward the 2026 ANA Brand Masters | ICONS Conference this May, I’m feeling the kind of anticipation that only comes when a program meets a moment. At a time of intense pressure for marketers, we're going to answer the question, "What makes a brand truly iconic?"
How to Control Frequency for Maximum Viewer Enjoyment of Your Advertising
Erwin Ephron once famously referred to it as crabgrass, but then forgave its existence by including it in a transformed elevated state as recency. Of course, I speak of frequency.
Raise Your Hand! (Video)
WPP’s Adam Gerhart on Curiosity, Clarity, the Human Edge, and the Leadership Advantage No One Can Automate.
Mockumentary Magic: Tracy Morgan Leads a Winning Team in “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
I’ve loved comedy for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s traditional sitcoms, stand-up specials, or the dry workplace absurdity of shows like The Office (both UK and US versions), there’s something uniquely satisfying about a show that understands how to land a punchline. I’m also the kind of viewer who laughs much louder than the people sitting next to me, sometimes embarrassingly so. Watching The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the new mockumentary comedy from NBC, I didn’t even make it thirty seconds before the first laugh hit
The Eight Secrets of How To Increase YOY Brand Sales
About five trillion dollars a year are invested in global marketing. Most of it is wasted. A great deal of it harms the brand and has the opposite effect from the desired effect. About one trillion of this is advertising. The rest is promotion i.e., price discounts. In general, the advertising does less harm.