The Marketing Companion

There is a small edit needed here. Brooke's audio weirdly cut out and then we resumed Marketing dress for success Has Zoom changed the rules for business decorum or should do the rules of "Dress for Success" still apply? Brooke and Mark debate this plus in-home drones and when the power of celebrity endorsements work TOO well!

With all the changes in the world, it's a good time to pause and reflect on the ideal skillset for a marketing career. How has the pandemic changed marketing careers? What is the best way to keep your skills current? Google and other companies saying that a college degree is not important in some tech careers any more. Will that trend move to marketing as well?

Is the hustle culture still relevant in a pandemic era? What does gerbil food and CBD oil have to do with anything? And why are people seeing more UFOs? Mark and Brooke tackle these questions and more on the Marketing Companion's 200th episode!

The pandemic has created an immense challenge for creatives who depend on live sets and collaborations. Mark and Brooke explore the ups and downs of the creative process in a crisis. When will the new TV content come back?

In this special episode, Mark Schaefer talks with Adidas global brand communications director Fabio Tambosi. We explore how the pandemic is re-defining sports, the consumer behaviors that are changing forever, the eCommerce surge, how Adidas pulled off the world's biggest social media hack, and business lessons from LeBron James.

Fashion, food, music, even love ... the pandemic is changing our lives in surprising ways -- with deep implications for marketers. You'll enjoy these insights into the emerging "cottage core" trend, how business can save music, and what happens to love in a crisis.

Mark and Brooke go toe-to-toe in an episode that covers Instagram fetishes, LinkedIn spam, Facebook boycotts, influencers united, and the reason everyone loves Mark Schaefer's feet.

Mark and Brooke examine emerging research that may indicate key post-pandemic consumer changes. Among the insights in this episode is the indication that children have taken over the eCommerce function for the family. Other topics include comfort spending, commerce levels, BOPIS, and new digital advertising trends.

Mark and Brooke dissect an extraordinary piece of thought leadership from author Martin Lindstrom. Lindstrom creates a data-based view of the likely "new normal" and this episode explores the implications for the new "imbalances" and marketing professionals.

Mark and Brooke discuss an explosive revelation from the Facebook strategy playbook: The company is mindfully encouraging extremism, ignoring warnings from 2016 that the platform was contributing to hate and polarization. The hosts also discuss the emerging importance of corporate communities and the post-pandemic normal.