Virtual Job Interview Practice; Coors Light Slings Free Beer: Wednesday’s First Things First
Plus, learn about several major job moves in advertising and marketing
Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here.
This Site Lets You Practice Job Interviews With Real Questions From Real Creative Leaders
Copywriters Emma Leamore and Pierce Thomson, along with art director Katyana O’Neill, have created “The Interview Before the Interview” to be a tool that puts creatives in front of top creative leaders, albeit virtually, and offers a glimpse into what it would feel like to be grilled by them in the hot seat. The tool features questions from 37 creative directors, executive creative directors and chief creative officers from agencies including Droga5, Dentsu, VCCP, Ogilvy and more.
Read more: Learn how the trio developed the idea and brought it to life.
Big News in Job Moves and Advertising Leadership
Ogilvy CEO John Seifert Says He Will Retire in 2021
John Seifert announced in an internal memo that he will be retiring as Ogilvy’s chief executive in 2021. Seifert has spent 41 years with the WPP agency, the last five as global CEO. Seifert said that he will continue to act in the role while the agency searches for a successor.
Read the full memo: “In a moment like this, I am more committed than ever to our people, our clients, and the Ogilvy brand,” Seifert said.
Omnicom CEO John Wren Criticizes Wendy Clark for Leaving DDB ‘in the Middle of a Crisis’
While much of Omnicom CEO John Wren’s first-quarter earnings call yesterday was spent on the impacts of Covid-19, he raised some eyebrows when he criticized the untimeliness of Wendy Clark’s departure from her role as CEO of Omnicom-owned DDB Worldwide, which she left to take on the top role at rival holding company Dentsu Aegis Network.
Industry Luminary Brian Lesser Joins InfoSum’s Board of Directors
Former Xandr CEO Brian Lesser has joined the board of directors at UK-based InfoSum, a start-up attempting to help the online marketing industry advance the challenge of targeting audiences amid heightened privacy regulations. Lesser, who unexpectedly left the top job at Xandr last month, told Adweek the online advertising industry requires an overhaul to meet new privacy laws.
What he’ll do at InfoSum: Lesser will advise InfoSum on potential new partnerships, including investments and potential new hires, as the start-up seeks to expand internationally.
Consumers Are Looking to the Future—Brands Need to Do the Same
In a Voice piece, Pinterest CMO Andréa Mallard shared some interesting data. Instead of queries for immediate needs such as entertaining bored kids or recipes using pantry staples, which spiked when the Covid-19 lockdown began, Mallard says “people are getting back to future optimism” and searching for topics around planning travel, events and more. That means that brands whose messaging is in the here and now are behind the curve—and they need to start looking ahead too.
More of Today’s Top News and Insights
- OpenX Cuts Staff and Salaries Due to Financial Impact of Coronavirus
- YouTube Brings Fact-Checking Displays to the US
- Third-Party Sellers Aren’t Surprised Amazon Is Reportedly Looking at Their Data
- JetBlue Is the First Airline to Require Passengers to Wear a Mask
- Bumble and BuzzFeed Invite You to Sit In on 11 First Virtual Dates
- Adweek Together: How Nonprofits Are Working With Big Brands
- I’m With the Brand: Mike Grillo | Gravity Blanket
Ad of the Day: In These ‘Sucky’ Times, Coors Light Is Now Offering Free Beers
Coors Light is acknowledging that these are, in fact, “sucky” times that call for a beer—free beer, in fact. The #CouldUseaBeer promotion, which was inspired by 93-year-old Pennsylvanian Olive Veronesi, encourages fans to nominate someone who deserves a free 6-pack.
