Advertising Week Kicks Off With Emma Stone, Steven Madden and More

Moving into its 15th year, New York is the original home of Advertising Week. Seminars and workshops are being led by some of the greatest minds in the industry all over New York. Diversity and inclusion are the dominant themes, as is cannabis. Here are some of Monday’s highlights.

Carolyn Everson
Facebook’s VP of Global Marketing Solutions Carolyn Everson took the Advertising Week New York stage on Monday to directly address the recent and “very sophisticated” hack of more than 50 million accounts. In a conversation with Wall Street Journal’s Media and Marketing Reporter, Lara O’Reilly, panelists highlighted the importance of transparency, accountability and action. Everson spoke about the “crisis of trust” many consumers and stakeholders face with Facebook. Topics ranged from the security breach on 9/28 and the recent departures of Instagram’s co-founders, to tensions between WhatsApp/Facebook and Facebook’s preparations for November’s midterm elections. Everson also discussed how the company has changed between now and the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Emma Stone
Academy Award-winning actor Emma Stone joined Dr. Harold Koplewic from the Child Mind Institute took to discuss her experiences with anxiety that started at an early age. In a panel that felt more like an intimate therapy session for all to see and hear, Stone discussed the importance of being more open and honest with her anxiety. Using cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, she described how anxiety “is part of me but isn’t me.” Dr. Koplewic, who specializes in mental health issues with children, echoed that sentiment by saying how important it is to “make sure that a child knows they aren’t their anxiety disorder. If you feed it, it grows. If you starve it, it’ll go away.” Stone said it’s important to trust your instincts and guts. “Knowing what I wanted to do, which was to be an actor, helped me because it was the thing I loved the most.”

Marc Pritchard, Keith Cartwright and Collen DeCourcy
Marc Pritchard, Keith Cartwright and Colleen DeCourcy spoke openly and emotionally to close out the day about steps they’ve taken in their careers – through both their leadership roles and passion projects. Sharing examples like P&G’s “The Talk,” Saturday Morning, and W+K’s recent work with Nike, Pritchard concluded that “what we do matters. And it matters more than ever, now”. Ultimately, they redefined brave work as work that doesn’t necessarily make you feel uncomfrtable, but does make you feel something.

Steven Madden
Steve Madden took the stage at Advertising Week New York with a baseball hat and his candor to talk “Wolf of Wall Street,” his disapproval of Trump’s trade stance and how he has been snubbed by the CFDA even though Anna Wintour’s daughter loves Steve Madden shoes. In a panel session about brand-building and maintaining creativity as an entrepreneur, Madden discussed a myriad of social issues while professing his love for Barack Obama and Popeye’s fried chicken. He noted sustainable fashion isn’t a priority for him and the brand, while also touchIng upon topics like unfair incarceration for inner-city teens and African-Americans. Madden added that “he didn’t have the same problem” and “walked right out” with the additional note that “prison isn’t glamorous.” On cultivating an office environment in modern day, Madden said “times are not like Mad Men” with today and the #MeToo movement, but that healthy tension between men and women can make for positive creativity. Regarding his position in the fashion industry, Madden said “We have been known to knick a style from Balenciaga and Gucci, because I believe in shoes for the people.” He said his design creation is analogous to a big stew: “When I make shoes, I stir the pot, get inspired, throw Gucci in the pot, stir it up and call it Steve Madden.” Regarding his fame, Madden said “The Wolf of Wall Street” was “pretty accurate” and that his fame is more akin to that of a book author. He said the movie encouraged him to tell his side of the story. Steve Madden said he is a “household name like Johnny Carson” since everybody’s got Steve Madden shoes in their closet. “I like when people wear my shoes, I get a big kick out of that!”

Fernando Machado, Global CMO at Burger King
Global CMO of Burger King Fernando Machado took to the stage to discuss many award-winning campaigns that he and his team have developed over the years. Quoting the title of his panel: “Be afraid. Be very afraid. But do it.” He explained how marketers can take a page out of the Burger King marketing team’s book to create campaigns that will actually get buzz and resonate with consumers and media alike. As a young boy in Brazil, Machado remembers seeing and loving iconic Burger King commercials such as “Whopper Freakout,” which is what prompted him to call Burger King four years ago and ask if they had any marketing roles open. As he put it, “When I arrived, the brand was not in the greatest state.” To prove this point, he showed a commercial the brand did in 2012 with Steven Tyler for their new Homestyle Chicken Strips – which shows Tyler causing mayhem at a Burger King store. Machado knew that he would have to push the envelope to create engaging and buzz-worthy campaigns. He advises marketers to understand their brand and create really short briefs – of which all marketing ideas should grow. For example, Burger King has three briefs: (1.) Let’s encourage people to be their way. (2.) Because fire is better. (3). Showcase Whooper love. These briefs inspired campaigns such as the April Fool’s Chocolate Whooper prank and the net neutrality social experience.