Digital & Dirt
00:57:18 · Ian Dallimore, Doug Zarkin
[00:57:18] S0: Yeah. Me too. Shout out there. I can't... I don't know the difference between there, there, and there. So I'm with you on that one. [00:57:23] S10: What what prompted me to write the book honestly is the is the one part of being a leader that I think most leaders under index on, but honestly I get a lot of enjoyment from, and that is teaching. Being able to unlock someone in or a superhero by showing them the way and giving them the tools and tips that they need so they can avoid the pitfalls that I went through or somebody else went through is just, it's rewarding. And I mean that seriously, being able to coach and mentor somebody. And that's why I wrote the book because it allows me to do that on a broader scale. It comes from years of putting in paradigms and analogies to help take the complex and make it simple. But it's also a way to hold myself to a standard that if I'm going to put out about how I want to be as a leader, what a good leader is, then I have to live up to that every day. And it's something I'm proud of. [00:58:07] S0: Yeah. How do you continue to stay ahead? I have my little tips and tricks. I I have Grok that's constantly pulling certain articles, certain topics for me in the background. But how do you stay stay ahead of the curve with technology, but also with media? You know, here we are at the Video Everywhere Summit and, know, Lamar Advertising out front Clear Channel, but then you have a long tail of screen types. That's just one industry. How do you continuously stay on top of media tech while incorporating in that brand world?
00:58:37 · Doug Zarkin
[00:58:37] S10: You know, I... It it really goes back to what I think makes for a great marketer and that is curiosity. I am insanely curious. It's why I started my career in the agency world and went to the operator side because I wanted to understand more than just how to put the brand on the brain of a consumer, but understanding why we were doing it. What was the thought that went behind it? What's the strategy? And so for me, I am a consumer of media, both in the digital world and the offline world. You know, I'm also not afraid to say, I don't understand. You know, I think the best thing that I try to do is to put myself in rooms where I am not the smartest person in the room. Because if I'm the smartest person in the room, I'm definitely in the wrong room. I want to surround myself with people that are experts in things that while I have competency in and can make good calls, can teach me something. And so being at a conference like we're at right now is an opportunity to really focus on the relationships that could teach me something. You know, I talked before about the importance of relationships both in life and in business. You learn more from those that you interact with. And so being here physically allows me to meet people that are going to teach me something. And if I get one thing from this, it makes me that one thing better.
00:59:44 · Ian Dallimore, Doug Zarkin, Raj Lala
[00:59:44] S0: What a brilliant mindset to have, because so many people in the world today, it's like, Look at me, I'm the best at, insert whatever it may be. But for you, it's the curiosity. I love the curiosity, which leads to innovation, which leads to success. But it sounds like your mentality is a lot like mine. It's like, okay, once I master something, which you truly can't ever master something, you then pivot back and you're like, all right, let's learn something else. [01:00:06] S10: Well, I mean, if you had told me that I was going to spend my first career in the agency world, and then I was going go into the beauty world. Then I was going to go sell bras. Then I was going to go sell bifocals and then become a licensed oil tech. I would've told you you were crazy. But the through line through all of that was curiosity. These were difficult challenges that needed somebody to solve it. And, you know, I believe that we all have a number of superpowers inside us. One of the things for me is being able to see how certain things can come together to unlock not only a brand being chosen, but ensuring that it's never forgotten. [01:00:37] S0: Yeah. That's so powerful. You and I can talk for hours, but be conscious of your time here. AI plays a space in this world, but it's also back to the human connection becomes an important part of what we [01:00:47] S8: do. Right. [01:00:48] S0: How do you balance the two?
01:00:48 · Ian Dallimore, Doug Zarkin, Raj Lala
[01:00:48] S0: How do you balance the two? [01:00:49] S10: You know, I think of AI in two ways. First of all, in a land before time, if you wanted to research something, you went to this place called the library and you used something called the car catalog that was based on the Dewey Decimal System. [01:00:59] S8: Yes.
01:00:59 · Raj Lala, Doug Zarkin, Ian Dallimore
[01:00:59] S8: Yes. [01:00:59] S10: And that's how you found out stuff. AI is an endless library. And going back to something we talked about before is a way to take curiosity and do research lightning fast. But for me, what I think of AI as is the best intern I'm going to have. And that's because I would never let an intern write a paper for me. I would let an intern do some research and provide a point of view. And then I would go ahead and double check it and put my own thoughts in it. I would let, I would let an intern do my expenses. I would let an, an intern, you know, maybe set up a meeting. But for me, AI has allowed me to think more, to double check my own work, to make sure that am I communicating effectively, both in the informal communications inside a team, but importantly to the outside world. You know, when I wrote my book, I put my book into my AI. And so my AI is really trained to think how I think, but not be me. It gives me a perspective if, if what I'm processing stays true to the ideals that I lay out in the book. And if the answer is yes, it'll tell me. If the answer is no, it'll also tell me, which will give me a pause to step back and say, what am I missing? And I may not change anything, but it gives me that mirror to my face that allows me hopefully to come up with smarter, faster, better solutions. [01:02:10] S0: Yeah. So as we wrap up here, one last question. What's one thing marketers need to stop doing and one thing they need to start doing immediately?
01:02:10 · Ian Dallimore, Doug Zarkin, Nicole Fitzsimmons
[01:02:10] S0: Yeah. So as we wrap up here, one last question. What's one thing marketers need to stop doing and one thing they need to start doing immediately? [01:02:18] S10: Yeah. I think marketers need to stop focusing on speed and they need to start worrying about the speed of smart. AI allows us to do a lot of things lightning fast, which is great for a few amount of things. The importance and curiosity. You know, you're talking to one of the few guys that can proudly say he was an Avon lady. Cause when I worked at Avon, I went out and I sold lip gloss door to door for 6 And I learned more about the business there than I would have from any PowerPoint. We as marketers have to recognize that we're only as good as the experiences that we deliver. Whether that's in the four walls of a retail store or in the digital walls of an e commerce business, you have to understand what the consumer is experiencing to truly understand the value of your brand. [01:02:59] S0: Yeah. So Doug, go check out the book. [01:03:02] S10: Available on Amazon and Kindle and paperback. [01:03:05] S0: Yeah. Or you [01:03:05] S10: can go to my website, dougzarkin.com. [01:03:07] S0: I love it. Moving your brand out of the friend's end. What a powerful title. Thanks, I'm gonna buy it right now. [01:03:12] S10: Thanks, buddy. I appreciate [01:03:13] S0: it. Alright. Thanks, my friend. Bye bye. Alright. My good friend, Nicole Fitzsimmons, senior manager, inventory development at The Trade Desk. Good to see you. [01:03:26] S11: Good to see you too. Thanks for having me.