Triple Threat Sean Reardon on Running Zenith USA, Moxie and MRY

EB Moss amp160Looking back at your 18 months as the CEO of three agencies what are you most proud of amp160What are you most excited about on the horizon Sean Reardonamp160 I39m particularly proud of the way Zenith Moxie and MRY are each growing and thriving under the modern marketing landscape39s pressures and opportunitiesamp160At Zenith the marketplace horsepower that has always defined us combined with an advanced data and insights team and a content practice has driven our evolution from a media planning and buying agency into more of a marketing quotconsultancyquotMoxie39s embrace of a quotcreationquot mindset coupled with a robust data and technology acumen has set the foundation for the largest growth period in our twodecade historyMRY39s ability to marry technical channel understanding with pliable creative skill has sent us on an incredible run over the last six monthsWhat has me most excited is that with each brand we39ve only just begunamp8230we39re only in second or third gear I honestly can39t wait to see where we39re able to take things as we continue to expand what we do and refine how we do it Gears four and five should be quite exhilaratingMoss amp160What has surprised you most or what have you found most challengingReardon As a CEO leadership can be lonely which is something I probably underestimated While I39m in the position of overseeing over 1600 people my ability to go deep into conversations consistently is challenged by the planes trains and automobile rides that often consume my daysI feed off the energy of people so my resolve has been to go deep into one to two projects a week with our teams This keeps my mind sharper and maintains my closeness to client businesses and most importantly to our organizations39 lifeblood Our peopleMoss amp160Looking ahead where do you think the marketing industry is going What challenges will marketers amp8211 both agency and brand side amp8211 faceReardon amp160It39s not the future itself that39s a mystery so much as the timing of it Marketing will be increasingly personal mobile techenabled and dataenhanced In accordance the scenes of Minority Report are probably not that far off from the reality of our industry39s futurestate but will it be realized in 2054 or 2020I think the big challenge everyone is facing is how to evolve at the right pace for their brand and for their clients Old things may not work as they once did but they are not quotdeadquot as we so often stateamp8230Similarly new things will be increasingly available to us as marketers but let39s not be too quick to proclaim quotEurekaquotDetermining the right pace of evolution is probably the single most critical challenge we39re all facing It goes without saying Those that get their timing right will be at an advantage over those that don39tMoss amp160Focusing on talent what kind of employees are you looking for today What skills do you think the best marketers will need for tomorrowReardon amp160Our approach here is guided by three thingsWe are looking to drive equality and diversity in our business at all levelsWe are looking to attract the future skillsets of our industryNo matter what level or role we39re looking for there is one quality that seems more necessary than ever A comfort with changeMoss amp160How are you preparing your agency to support and foster this kind of talent What programs are in place or do you think are neededReardon amp160All the organizations I oversee are committed to driving equality and diversity in our business as demonstrated by our participation in initiatives like Verizon AdFellows the AdPr program and Advertising for Change We aren39t simply hiring amazing diverse people we39re participating in programs that positively impact our future industry make upIn terms of diversifying skill sets Publicis Media39s Trainee Program successfully provides a pipeline of new talent with newworld skill sets Nearly 50 of our current employees are Trainee Program graduates While we once focused our recruiting efforts on universities39 business and communications programs we39ve expanded to include engineering statistical and design fields The result is a much more diverse group of entrylevel employeesMoss amp160We39ve heard that you love sportsmove analogies Can you use one of these to describe the future of agenciesReardonamp160amp160 I use this one all the timeamp8230the future of our industry will be akin to the evolution of an NFL offense We39re evolving from days of drawing plays in the dirt to days of running advanced quotwest coast offensesquot with 90plus plays per game called from the coaches39 booth but audibled and readoptioned in real time on the field based on scores circumstances and how the defense lines upJust as the goal in football remains to get the ball in the end zone the goal in marketing is still to connect with consumers in meaningful and impacting ways However the method by which we get there is radically more developed and complex than ever before creating both challenge and opportunity I39m a Patriots fanamp8230we tend to see the opportunityClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Triple Threat Sean Reardon on Running Zenith USA, Moxie and MRY

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Triple Threat Sean Reardon on Running Zenith USA, Moxie and MRY

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