1.) What trends, developments or issues would you point to thus far in 2019 as being most significant, perhaps carrying implications for the rest of the year and beyond?

2.) What work (advertising or entertainment)--your own or others--struck a responsive chord with you and/or was the most effective creatively and/or strategically so far this year? Does any work stand out to you in terms of meshing advertising and entertainment?

3.) What’s the biggest takeaway or lessons learned from work (please identify the project) you were involved in this year that was or is in the running for current awards season consideration (i.e., Emmys, Cannes Lions)?

4.) Though gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for the second half of 2019 and beyond.

5.) What do recent honors on the awards show circuit (Producers Guild Awards, DGA Awards, Cannes Lions, AICP Show, Emmy nominations) tell us in terms of themes and trends in the industry at large?

6.) What efforts are you making to increase diversity and inclusion in terms of women and ethnic minority filmmakers? How do you go about mentoring new talent?

Derek Barnes
Chief Creative Officer
DDB New York

1) I think it’s safe to say the divisive state of politics will continue to make us all pine for simpler, more unified times.  So brand stories that champion inclusion, diversity and unity stand to connect with people more than ever. Similarly, I think brands that align themselves behind “purpose driven” creative work will find receptive audiences - as long as its relevant and not gratuitous. I think consumers are wise to brands trying to jump on the “purpose” bandwagon.  At least the McSweeney’s writer who wrote this hilarious piece, “What I Need Most in My Life Right Now is a Purpose-Driven Paper Towel Brand,” has it figured out: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-thing-i-need-most-in-my-life-rig...

2) I hate to sound biased by referencing DDB work, but the “Skittles: The Broadway Musical” Super Bowl campaign really answers this question for me.  And since I had zero to do with it aside from being insanely jealous, I’m going to gush a bit: just a brilliant blurring of the lines between advertising, entertainment and satire, and a warping of the rules of engagement with consumers, especially around the Super Bowl.  It was a breakthrough creative moment and a huge business success for a very brave and deserving client. 

3) We were fortunate enough to win two Gold Lions at Cannes for a campaign we did for the Tribeca Film Festival. Prior to coming up with the ultimate campaign idea, we’d presented a round or two to the clients.  We shared some stuff we loved.  Some of it more logistically complex. More techy. More experiential. More expensive and arguably more ambitious. And for a variety of valid reasons, we just couldn’t get to a green light from our clients. In the end, we just went back to the simple core truth that Tribeca is about storytelling, and we found a wonderful way to celebrate that without obscuring it in execution. It was a great reminder that simpler is almost always better.

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