Executive Connections LLC

Connecting organizations with the future of marketing

Board of Directors

Filed Under: Board of Directors, Branding Yourself Online, Digital Proficiency, Executive Talent, Getting Hired in Digital Marketing, Marketing Conferences & Events, New Executive Search, Personal Branding, Webinars

Short-Form Content Is A New Media and Entertainment Priority

One of the most interesting conversations during Advertising Week 2013 was Michael Kassan, CEO of Media Link, interviewing Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Co-Founder & CEO of DreamWorks Animation regarding the future of media and entertainment in the face of the current technology changes.

Creating New Opportunities in the Content Creation Business
Rather than feeling media and entertainment companies are facing a diminishing and fractured market, Katzenberg indicated there has never been a better time to be in the content creation business.

He indicated new, smaller mobile screens (smart phones and tablets) which are with people constantly…have created new opportunities for short-form content including both news and entertainment. Katzenberg talked about Brian Robbins, Founder & CEO of Awesomeness TV, an exceptional storyteller and producer of TV and motion pictures. Robbins has now shifted and is devoting 100% of his energy producing short-form content.

Katzenberg indicated new technology (and devices) have created an opportunity to fill the “waiting time” in people’s lives…short windows when people are waiting for a bus, waiting in line, etc., and are passing time accessing their mobile devices. Awesomeness TV is already one of the leading producers of content on YouTube and he expects this sector to represent a new opportunity for growth in entertainment and media content distribution. Forrester and other research firms have confirmed consumers are spending 2+ hours daily on mobile devices separate from the 4-1/2 hours of daily television time. So that’s the new “window of opportunity” in a nutshell.

Never Been a Better Time
This reminds me of past experiences when new channels opened up…and Katzenberg commented on this…when TV arrived back in the 1950s, there was speculation other channels (newspapers, radio) would diminish. In fact, this never happened, and Katzenberg indicated with so many consumers watching high-quality, premium content (movies and television) ON-DEMAND, the market (on demand) and consumer response (to great content) has never been stronger. Just check Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, and other outstanding entertainment content being produced by the networks, cable channels, and movie studios…with the addition of short-form content programming, the future looks very exciting and there has never been a better time to be in these businesses.

Filed Under: Ask Our Coach, Board of Directors, Executive Coaching, Executive Talent, Getting Hired in Digital Marketing, Personal Branding, Recommended Articles, Recommended Books, Webinars

Become a Champion of Innovation

Spring has brought forth a spirit of new beginnings, and as we look at what’s new and what skills we can add leverage or  focus on in the next quarter, we believe the emphasis should be on how to champion innovation within your business.

In the past, innovation was considered “hot,” now it is often a matter of business life and death.

We are seeing this in the media sector with newspapers shuttering and other print media consolidating as consumers move from ink on paper to on-demand digital media and entertainment. There is a growing body of thought and research suggesting the ability to systematically innovate may be the only truly sustainable competitive advantage in this new globalized digital and social economy. [Read more…] about Become a Champion of Innovation

Filed Under: Ask Our Coach, Board of Directors, Executive Coaching, Executive Talent, Getting Hired in Digital Marketing, LinkedIn, New Executive Search, Personal Branding

Are You Ready To Work For Private Equity?

As an executive search firm with a specialization in digital marketing, we obtain 20%+ of our assignments through introductions by private equity firms to their portfolio companies needing a CEO, CMO, CRO, CFO or other C-level positions. We are always looking for candidates who meet the needs of our clients and in particular, PE firms. 

What personal characteristics do we look for when hiring for Private Equity? 

How can you assess if you have the “chops” to work for private equity? Is your personal brand a match for private equity? What can you expect and what is expected once you are hired, in terms of the operational differences, compared to working for a large, publicly owned company?

If you are considering a career opportunity in a private equity financed business, then check out the top 5 qualities and characteristics to better understand if you really are ready, willing and able. 
 [Read more…] about Are You Ready To Work For Private Equity?

Filed Under: Board of Directors, Connections E-Zine

Connections Ezine: Issue 52

In this issue:

  • Add a “Customer-Obsessed” Marketer to Your Board of Directors
  • Blog Round Up
  • Career Announcements

In Our Opinion

Add a “Customer-Obsessed” Marketer to Your Board of Directors

by Jeff Gundersen

Over the years, as many companies in various industry verticals (i.e., financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, technology) decided to raise their competency in areas including branding, marketing, and communications, they came to our firm asking for assistance in recruiting classically-trained consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers from top firms (including P&G most notably).

Now, many years later as the marketing pendulum has swung from mass/push marketing to one-to-one customer engagement/pull marketing, multi-channel marketing and global competition have made building brands and businesses even more complex, we are seeing companies reach out to strengthen their Board of Directors by adding at least one “Customer-Obsessed,” C-level Marketing executive to their Board to serve in a role as “Voice of the Customer.”

[Read more…] about Connections Ezine: Issue 52

Filed Under: Board of Directors, Connections E-Zine

Connections Ezine: Issue 51

In this issue:

  • Find Your Seat at the Table Now
  • Client Spotlight on Lou Ramery
  • Blog Round Up
  • Career Announcements

In Our Opinion

Find Your Seat at the Table Now

by Jeff Gundersen

Now (the Summer months of July and August) is the time to start planning your campaign to find the right Board of Directors position for your personal brand.

Are you a successful CEO or President with a proven track record of building global businesses? Has your company outperformed competitors in your sector resulting in you receiving accolades from your Board, investors, and the media? Are you at a stage where your company’s strategic vision and execution are functioning at a high level, and you can see yourself contributing the same type of game-changing leadership in a Board of Directors role outside of your current company?

We have a number of CEO clients who fit this description, and several have come to us requesting our help in finding appropriate outside Board of Directors positions. Our first questions to these CEO clients are always:

  • Why do you want to sit on an outside Board?
  • What value can you best provide (to another CEO) as a Board member?
  • What do you hope to gain from the experience of participating on an outside Board?
  • Are you (and your company) prepared for the time commitment Board service entails (typically 6 Board meetings annually, travel time, Board preparation time, emergency meetings, etc.)?

Once we have addressed the questions related to motivation, qualification, time, and incentives, we move on the questions related to building and executing a successful Board of Directors campaign:

  • What stands out in terms of your CEO accomplishments (i.e., building and expanding businesses globally; M&A success including integration, turnarounds, and operations/cost reduction)?
  • How effectively do your personal bio, executive profile, and other PR/media present your personal brand to attract interest in you as a Board candidate?
  • Who are your mentors and advocates, and how many senior connections can you leverage to refer you to potential Board opportunities?
  • What industry sectors and companies will be most interested in your credentials as a Board member?

This is where we find most CEOs need help. While they may have a few former bosses and mentors who are advocates, most are not connected to the search consultants running the Board of Directors practices at the top search firm, and most do not have an entree to the target industries and companies where their Board credentials are the strongest potential fit. Simply stated, they are under-connected and sometimes not effectively packaged to stand out among other Board candidates.

This is where Executive Connections LLC has come in, in several instance, to provide our expertise in personal branding, packaging, and presentment of a CEO’s Board credentials. We add our independent advocacy and direct knowledge of the CEO’s accomplishments and utilize our connections (which are golden—and our firm’s strongest brand attribute—by a survey of our top clients) to open doors and get our CEOs an invitation into the Board selection process.

We are currently working with three CEO clients on reviewing their executive bios, profiles, and head shots, as well as targeting sectors and companies they would find compelling and where their credentials will be most attractive. Once we complete the executive profile updates and targeting research, after Labor Day is the ideal time to kick off the full-blown Board campaign. Because the majority of companies operate on a year-end fiscal period, Q4 is typically the time CEOs and Boards are planning for replacement of retiring or outgoing Directors. So the CEO’s mind is on Board composition at this time of year, and it is best to present your credentials when the opportunities are beginning to surface.

If this is an area of interest for you, please connect with us for further information on our firm’s Board of Directors consulting service.

Client Spotlight on Lou Ramery

We are delighted to announce Lou Ramery has joined Accenture Interactive effective July 9, 2012 in a Senior Executive (Partner) role in the E-CRM and Customer Experience practice area. Prior to joining Accenture, Lou was SVP, Customer Relationship Management at Sears Holdings where his team designed and implemented an enterprise-wide customer loyalty program which gained 70 million members within the first years and significantly contributed to incremental revenue growth. Prior to Sears, Lou was EVP, Global Marketing at Digitas during one of the firm’s highest growth periods. We wish Lou continued success in his new role!

Blog Roundup

Our LinkedIn Webinar Recording Available

We see LinkedIn as being very important for executive brand building and strengthening career connections, and we appreciate the opportunity to share our experience and best practices with you. Read more.

Upcoming Professional Development Events

Mark your calendars for these professional development and networking events. Read more.

Ask Our Coach: Going Over My Boss’ Head

Q. How do you suggest partnering/dealing with executives (possibly including your boss) whom you know do not have the right ideas (answers), but their bosses do. At what point (and how) do you suggest escalating, particularly when they are outspoken about not going above them?

A. First of all, I want to acknowledge the frustration you must be going through, even if most of it is self-inflicted. What I am picking up here is that you are “attempting” to make this situation work, but that there is not really a full-blown commitment. I like to tell it straight and think that just might be the answer here: It’s up to you to create the type of workplace in which you do your best work. Read more.

Do you have a marketing-career related question for “Ask our Coach?” Contact us, and we’ll answer it in an upcoming blog post.

Career Announcements

Director, E-Mail Marketing – Alternative Health/Nutritional Supplement Company – Washington DC Area
Senior Executive – Financial Services
Senior Executive – Strategy & Innovation Lead
Learn more.