Zimmerman, who was employee number eight of the sole creative shop within the Dentsu Aegis Network holding company, also described the agency's focus on diversity and the elevation of women leaders, how strategy is the diving board and a creative idea is the dive in to the pool, and why, just as every story needs an enemy, so does every brand. But does she think data is the enemy of creativity?
The following topline highlights of the full discussion make for one of the most compelling conversations I've had recently and is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand the imperative basics of solid strategic thinking to grow a brand.
The following has been edited for clarity and length, so listen here to the complete podcast for all the goods – including the genesis of her passion for shoes! And, subscribe to MediaVillage's Insider InSites (recently cited as a top podcast for digital advertising professionals!) on any platform — Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, GooglePodcasts, Apple, TuneIn, and YouTube.
E.B. Moss: Jennifer, you were mcgarrybowen employee number eight, but also the first female executive, right?
Jennifer Zimmerman: John McGarry and Gordon Bowen founded mcgarrybowen with an intent to create something new, with a 'gentleman rebel' ethos, and looked for [people with] quality of thought, but also diversity of thought ... to really challenge the status quo out there in the marketplace.... I might've been the first female executive, but we are now an organization filled with them, [reflecting] the ongoing desire for the best and brightest, rather than a desire to specifically find female executives.
Moss: What drives the push for diversity and inclusion in the media world?
Zimmerman: Two factors: One, client organizations are looking at their diversity [within] their agency partners…. We work very closely with Verizon, for example, which has made it a priority — with a metric around it — to ensure that we have a diverse talent base that reflects their customer base. The second point is, if you're trying to persuade and compel people in the world ... you need to have people that look like the people in the world.
Moss: We celebrated Diego Scotti of Verizon for activism around [diversity] at our Advancing Diversity Honors last year. And you recently added another client to your roster, Hershey's, whose chief marketing officer, Jill Baskin, is being honored at this year's induction at CES. But speaking of CMOs, how do you distinguish between that role and the chief strategy officer role?
Zimmerman: Most CMOs are responsible for the brand in their category as a driver of their business strategy, laying out their vision and using the brand as an asset to drive the business forward with a very vertical orientation.... I have a broad context as an agency CSO. I work across any category; I have insights about people who love Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing or Hershey's chocolate. I know a little bit about technology through our work with Verizon and Intel, so [I] take a very broad perspective — what consumers are thinking as people in the world — and bring those insights to our clients. If you think of a creative idea as a dive, strategy is the diving board... it's how you get into the pool. It's really the strategic intent that underpins the creative executions that are brought to life in a compelling way.