John joined OMD in 2017 from the global creative agency BBDO where he was CEO.

In this conversation, he speaks about managing brand’s media investments during the time of COVID.

He talks of the high wire act that marketers face with the ebb and flow of the pandemic, where hope turns to despair as the virus reemerges and hope inches back.

He addresses the “new normal” of the workplace, and the challenges of keeping the agency focused, trained and inspired in the home/office hybrid.

And he speaks about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and explains the recently launched training program for people of various backgrounds.

A longtime volunteer in the not-for-profit sector,John says that commitment to community action and philanthropy is essential for both brands and for each of us in our lives.  John lives this credo as the Chairman of the Red Cross of Greater New York.

Great, inspiring conversation.   Thank you, John.

Thank you to our series sponsor TransUnion.

And thank you for listening.   I hope you enjoy the episode.

This was among the the topics in this wide-ranging conversation about race, diversity and inclusion, and the role of marketers.

Solomon, longtime Chicago-based OMD executive on McDonald’s Clorox, and and other accounts, who moved to his role at PHD six months ago, explains how brands authentically market to diverse communities.

“At PHD we’ve actually pivoted to make multicultural thinking –  and really cultural thinking –  more of a business imperative, and by that I mean tying to get  closer to where clients’ growth is going to come from.” I think that’s a much more interesting conversation as opposed to investments that we’re making against audiences. So … we’re making it bigger and broader .. thinking overall not only about culture and the connection point for clients, but also what it means to the agency, and how that becomes part of everything we do.”

In his journey as a person of color, he cites the value of mentorship in his career. And, he says that more people of color need to be attracted and mentored by the marketing and media industries.

This 5-part series abut diversity and inclusion is made possible by a generous contribution to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico from Disney Advertising Sales.

Editor’s Note: Since 2017, I have been been an advocate for this group. Please find the latest video report from San Juan with the Clubs’ president Olga Ramos. You can make a tax deductible contribution right here.

Thank you Rita and Mike for this very special segment. Gracias!

This year at Cannes, the Palais is exactly where Warren will be. “Like, I literally willed it into existence. It is not a beachside conversation. It needs to be the big stage,” Omnicom’s SVP, Chief Diversity Officer says in this interview with Beet.TV. “I’m super excited.”

Warren will join Edward Enninful, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue, HP Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio and British actress Thandie Newton in a 45-minute session titled Diversity—a Values Issue and Business Imperative—Requires Bold Action, hosted by Omnicom and HP.

A description of the session reads: “In order for the creative industry to remain shapers of culture and society, it’s critical that we move beyond theory and talk by taking bold action. Research proves diversity initiatives are more effective if they have support at the top. It also requires measurement to hold ourselves accountable.”

Beyond the metrics and statistics to be featured at Cannes, Warren has a fairly simple rationale for determining the value of hiring diversity. “What I say is, ‘What’s the value of sameness?’ That’s how I respond back. Because no one can answer that. No one wants to and has an answer for what sameness has done for your business.”

In a “constricting industry” such as advertising, “there’s other companies that are providing more creative solutions because they’re infusing equity and diversity in the hiring process and bringing in great minds and doing it in a way that’s equitable. That’s how you answer that.”

She has company in her viewpoint in the person of Merck CEO Ken Frazier, who is often asked about the business case for diversity. “His response is, make the business case of sameness for me. It always gets people because you really find it hard and you struggle to think of the things that come out of being the same.

“If you have the same ideas, the same people, the same thought process, your company can do well but it won’t evolve,” Warren says.

While mentoring has always been important to Warren, she considers herself a coach. And she expects those who she is coaching to be coaching her. “So I stay on top of things because I’m not just providing responsibilities and answers to things that I’ve overcome so they can jump over the land mines that maybe I stepped on in my career.”

This video is part of The Road to Cannes, a preview of topics to be addressed at Cannes Lions. The series is presented by the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video. For more videos from the series, please visit this page. FreeWheel is a Comcast company.