Diana Bojaj, newly appointed Chief Media Officer, Stephanie Russell, Chief Client Officer, and Mike Law, CEO of Carat US join us to discuss the new era of talent and the future for Carat.
19 May 2022
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Q: How did you get involved in advertising?
Diana Bojaj, Chief Media Officer, Carat US
I guess, like most people by accident. Now, so I actually, you know, I studied marketing in college, and I wasn't quite sure what part of marketing was going to be the piece that was most interesting to me. And, you know, I just, I went at it, I did a bunch of different internships and through the, you know, student, like, work kind of counseling office and, and I just tried everything out. I mean, I originally thought I was gonna go into finance or accounting, because I happen to be really good at math. And anyone who knows me now will laugh at that, because I can't, I can't even put the tab on a bill and like, add it together without my calculators. So, so it's so fun. But I did that. And you know, I did a bunch of different internships and got to meet a lot of different people and, and really kind of kind of found my spot and you know, my first role was an Assistant Account Executive in the events group at Campbell, E. Wells.
Stephanie Russell, Chief Client Officer, Carat US
Ironically, very similarly to Diana. So, I have a statistical econometric background, but I came at it from more of that analytic side. So I was actually started in direct marketing, where the math mattered a ton, and then really leaned in into media and then landed here at Carat.
Q: Looking back, are there a couple moments that stand out as pivotal in your career?
Absolutely. I think there's a couple of key moments, every new business loss and every new business win is a big moment to be fair, and a huge learning experience. But I think there's a couple of key moments where I've reinvented myself in my career, a couple of times, I was at a creative agency, came to media agency, worked in Media Research, got myself into media strategy, went back to a creative agency to do strategy there and I think the pivotal moments were coming back to media, I really found that that was the place that I could be most impactful, and where I thought, crazy enough if you think about creative strategy, but where I thought strategy mattered most. I spent most of my kind of formative years in my career as a strategist. So being in the media space was always something that made me feel like home.
Q: What advice do you share with younger audiences or professionals that are coming up in their careers?
Diana Bojaj Chief Media Officer, Carat US
Try everything, reinvent yourself. I think my biggest thing I say to people, particularly interns, or folks that I'm working with is, you will never know everything. But try as much as you can.
Stephanie Russell, Chief Client Officer , Carat US
Yeah. And I would flank on that. And just say, be curious, ask questions, understand why find out when things are due. Right? There are so many things that you can, can both learn and be really great at what you're doing day to day just by asking lots of questions. And don't be apologetic for it.
Q: Diana, what are you most excited for in this new role?
Diana Bojaj Chief Media Officer, Carat US
I'm super excited about the product. I think we have so much amazing work happening amongst the teams, that I can't wait to pull it all together, and really begin to learn from each other and scale it to different pieces of business and, and really get the best of the Carat product to all the clients.
Q: Is there any significant early goals or benchmarks that you would range your success on?
Diana Bojaj Chief Media Officer, Carat US
Yes, yes, I think designing for people and really bringing that to life across all our clients is my number one goal this year, and not only just for clients, but for us, as you know, as a team. I mean for all of us at Carat. I think if we if we all get behind designing for people and believe it and what it delivers for us as teams in the product. It will translate to the product that we deliver for clients.Q: Stephanie, it's now been a year since you've been at Carat, which is pretty crazy to say, How has your role evolved as a chief client officer since then?
Stephanie Russell, Chief Client Officer, Carat US
Gosh, I think I've just gotten more familiar with with our clients and our work and what we do. Certainly earlier on, it was an interesting balance of business development and really focused on our existing and core clients and of late I've had the opportunity to really lean in I existing client work with a lot of focus, which has been fantastic,
Q: Mike. So this is really exciting news for you as well. You're also you know, newly appointed CEO, with a strong leadership team in place now, what are going to be the most important areas of focus in the coming months?
Mike Law, CEO, Carat US
Well, first off, I learned something new listening to the beginning of this pod is that we all started with a math backgrounds. I was a math major in college until they started introducing letters into math. And I'm like, wait, I just want to do two plus two, what's this? X to the Y stuff? Yes, I think we all are rooted that we love math somehow. But we don't necessarily want to be math professors. Like I think what we've been really focused on is creating this one, Carat write that we're all collaborating and working together and have a really clear point of view on the way that we see the world so that we can help our clients grow their business, and we can help our teams grow their careers. What I'm excited about is to showcase the work that we've been doing. I think that whether it was pandemic induced or workload induced, we've, we've had a tendency to go into our own worlds and silos, as opposed to speaking loudly about the great things that we're doing and sharing those successes. So there's a lot of opportunity, I've kind of been joking that we're like Hawaii, we're one state, but we were a bunch of islands, you know, we want to be a bit more like the continental US and a bit more connected here. And I think that that will will be really powerful. I'm excited for Diana, and for staff to get out and see our teams and our clients and spend some time with them because I think there's this kind of explosion of opportunity about to hit us across the industry and I think we've got a really good point of view on that. I'm super excited to have this team in place. I think that when you put staff and Diana in the same room, and their ability to dissect a problem through their very unique lenses of how they came into these roles, is only going to make this solution that much stronger. So we're really set up for good, good 2022 and beyond.
Q: You mentioned an acceleration for career growth at Carat, I want to dive in a little bit around the future of talent. So what does the next generation of talent look like for media agencies?
Mike Law
I think that when we think about the future of talent right there, the talent that we're seeing coming into our organization is lightyears ahead of where we all started our careers. I think, when we came in, we were still learning, some media fundamentals, some vocabulary, the way marketing and media work together. I've seen from our new talent, our young talent, Justin's the workforce, they've experienced a lot of this through internships, through college programs through the web, they've learned so they're coming in hungry, to deliver on strategy and to have real impact on on media every day. So part of that is us being able to make some of the transactional work more automated, more seamless, easier to do, so that we're not spending 18 months at the beginning of a career with somebody just, you know, kind of bagging keys on a keyboard, but really having the opportunity to use their creative minds their strategic thinking, and get them excited about the future business. The other part to it, I think, is around data and analytics and the importance of people understanding how to use technology, how to use analytics and strong Analytics to measure the success of campaigns. It's no longer let's spend some money and hope that it works. I think every dollar is so measured now. So this balance of accelerating creativity and strategy to unleash kind of the great power these this young talent has, and then second is opening up this world to analytics and data science and measurement to make sure that we're measuring it so I think that the workforce looks a little different today than it did probably when we all started in the business.
Q: Is there anything around, you know, the success of a future planner on how they kind of balanced both right data and analytics to this the art of strategic thinking and creative thinking?
Stephanie Russell
We're working on creating Swiss Army knives, right. So folks who can flex and pivot, and that's where sort of that curiosity and that you know, sort of drive to be kind of thoughtful and strategic and learn new things, I think is going to be so critical in our future planners, it's hard to be a Swiss army knife for a unicorn. But it's also really fun and a great opportunity. So certainly looking for talent that's willing to learn all those facets of the business.
Diana Bojaj
Yeah, and I think one of the key things to, you know, talent coming in and what they need, because again, you won't know everything, but is truly and we say this word a lot. But collaboration, like we're bringing teams together to learn from each other and from different skill sets, right. So what we know and just the idea of is really how we've kind of created this chief media officer role and the groups within it that is really about crafting skills, and then sharing those skills across teams. So we can, you know, pull stories together and take skills from each other. So I really think those, you know, those Swiss Army knives that Steph just mentioned, like they're talking to each other and learning from each other, in true the true spirit of collaboration and teamwork for to deliver an idea or to deliver a product. I don't think anyone's coming anymore to say, I specifically want to be a media planner, or I just specifically want to be data and analytics person. Folks want to do so many different things and learn from so many different people in so many different areas? Because they're I think they're excited about the business overall. Or maybe that's just me.
Mike Law
No, I think I think you're right. And one thing I would call out I think is worth thinking about some of the the talent issues of the last couple of years, as people kind of move around the industry and we lose people from the industry is because we're home, right? Like because we're not always in the office, or we're not surrounded by friends and all the other goings on of an ad agency. It made a lot of people step back and say, Wait, do I really love like the work that I'm doing? Because that's what it's all about. Right now. I don't have friends to my left and friends to my right. I have to I have to make sure I really love what I'm doing. So we're seeing this, like new era of talent, where people these are the people who say, Man, I really love media. I really love advertising. I love being part of this. That's only making our our talent pool even stronger. Yes, there was some initial kind of pain and shock and all of that as people sorted through their careers. But I think ultimately, it led us to this place where you know, the people who are here and are coming into the business are here because they love what they do.
Q: 2022 will be the year of what in our industry?
Mike Law
Mobile. Now, is it totally acceptable to answer for like 11 years?
Stephanie Russell
Can we say innovation? I feel like there's so much that's evolving and changing and shifting, right? Whether it's measurement and the amount of visibility and how we buy and the amount of tech happening. I'm not gonna say those other very buzzy words, but obviously lots of other fun, fun, innovative things happening as well.
Mike Law
I'd say I like innovation, and I would say change the change. I think there's a monumental shift kind of happening around us right now. And those buzzwords that Steph said are think more lots of people's heads go meta NFT, Crypto, like what do all those things mean to us? So and they're going to fundamentally change what our business looks like to over the next few years. So yeah, change driven by a massive amount of innovation. Opportunity. That feels like a good word to sorry. So yeah, many things. Opportunity.
Diana Bojaj
I was gonna say connection, I think people are really excited to reconnect and reengage and I and not to say that people weren't engaged. But I think if there's a new way of engagement and a new way of connection and appreciation for that, that that we we didn't have before.
Q: Where have clients been the most focus so far this year?
Diana Bojaj
Innovation. I think so I mean, we have clients asking so much about, you know, new technology, new forms of media, and really how that's changing the landscape and really questioning and, and wanting to learn from each other and from us as to how to engage,
Q: finding more opportunity for beta moments. Brands are more open to it now. Is that what you mean, when you say innovation? Diana?
Diana Bojaj
Absolutely. Clients want to test I mean, again, in a lot of these buzzword places, right, so we have, you know, more clients and gaming clients asking about Web 3.0, and meta and how we get engaged and how we show up and how we involve. So there's a lot being done. NFTS crypto, like Mike mentioned, just so many questions from so many clients. And really, to my point earlier, like how this will change the space and how this will change the way that we work and our plans,
Mike Law
I think in terms of, you know, just given the timing of when this pod is going to launch, and people are going to be listening to it. Obviously, lots of chatter around the way that traditional media is transforming as well. The currency measurement, impact on kind of traditional media is also at a major crossroads. So while where, when I think when Diana said innovation, we're thinking about big time innovation, like the way the web is going to change the way that we're going to think about different like actual currencies in the world, in terms of non fungible tokens or cryptocurrency where it might be, but in the way that we trade billions of dollars and the buying teams of Carat and the planning teams or Carat have really had to rethink what that means for some of their their go to market strategies. So I say that because it's pertinent to when people may be listening to this. And I think that we're at a huge crossroads in that space. But it's just indicative of the broader changes that's happening. So even the most trusted and old school media is at a crossroads. So everything in this business is being elevated.
Diana Bojaj
That's right, and clients are, are really focused on measurement, and the conversations around measurement this year, and we you know, our teams are working with many partners to figure out kind of what the future of measurement looks like. But again, something that is, will remain a focus this year for clients.
Q: What are the most important elements of a strong agency and client relationship?
Mike Law
Trust? Just trust and openness. candidness. Like, it's just be that when when a problem comes across a desk, or an issue or a topic or anything we want our clients first thought to be, I'm calling my agency. I'm calling Carat right now, because they'll help me they may not have the answer, but they've got the people and they can just work this out with me. So that there's this this amazing, trusting confidence in the relationship is what I think is so important.
Stephanie Russell
Yeah, I can't put it any better than that. I think that's right.
Mike Law
This is why we're working together. Imagine she was like, No, that is not what it is about.
Q: Where do you think the industry has made the most progress?
Stephanie Russell
I would say, the use of technology, right? And automation and visibility, right? Think about the things that we used to have to even just thinking about bidding, you know, particularly for more digital media used to be a manual process, right? So we're relying heavily on tech and data to help make decisions which allows our teams to be focusing on the next thing and putting their time and attention into the strategic thinking about what we're what we're supporting for clients.
Q: What's the one thing we're not talking enough about in this industry right now?
Mike Law
I think the industry is focused on a lot of things. I don't know that there's something that we're not talking about, I think that sometimes we run the risk of getting too broad. I personally think there's kind of like three or four industry topics that unlike any other time in my career I've seen the industry reacting to so DEI , attrition measurement and kind of the bucket of innovation, like, it feels like a much more collaborative connected industry on those topics right now. Because there are some ground rules that needs to be fixed. There's some things that we need to agree on as a business, that we're all going to drive forward. So I think we would all agree that we ultimately want to leave this business as a whole better than when we got here. And I think that that is a responsibility of leadership inside of agencies. I can't imagine what else we could add to our to do list right now. But I just want us to make sure that we do stay focused on those critical things that can, you know, will have a long term impact for our business.
Diana Bojaj
And this isn't sexy. What we're not talking about is the fundamentals like fundamental skills, and fundamental and simple storytelling, like, what is actually part of the most brilliant part of our business, which is when we go back to the simplicity of it. And because I think sometimes we can get caught up and in a lot of the really big topics, right, and a really big complicated issues, but just the simplicity. And I think we know this when we see a really great simple idea planned, right? And you're like, wow, like, you know, or, you know, a really great, we'll see a really great plan, and it's just done really well. Right. So like just celebrating those things, I think sometimes go under the radar.
Q: Where do you see differentiated areas for Carat?
Diana Bojaj
Designing for people is differentiating, really having a proposition about creating rewarding media experiences that make everyday life better, right, like this value exchange that we have, and this human empathy and understanding for audiences, and for people, and even for ourselves, like, as much as we want designing for people to be a mantra of who we are, you know, on the outside, also on the inside. I think we truly believe in that you know, that everything that we do, and the work that we do should have a value creation for ourselves and feel rewarding, as much as it does for the work that we do and for our clients.
Stephanie Russell
I think that's embodied by the care culture as well. So to even take it as far inward as we possibly can I, you know, for me, I love to see the way characters operates and I think it really, as an agency embodies that designing for people ethos, and it's just a really great, kind, nice, collaborative group of folks that are super smart and really just embody that, that way of thinking.
Mike Law
Yeah, I think the amount of times that that I hear from people, you know, we never saw this at another agency. We never saw this transparency. We never saw this collaboration, we bring together our leaders across dentsu, and you know, the power of dentsu can be felt but then manifested through the lens of, of Kara and then further through the lens of your clients. So we want our teams to feel like I'm responsible for my client, and I've got the breadth of Carat to pull from and to learn from an experience from and then I've got the breadth and depth of dentsu to further empower that, right. So there isn't a question that can't be answered in our walls. It's about you know, sometimes going to find that answer. And I think that it is the spirit of I want to help you do better because collectively, I want us to be better as is a differentiator. And I see that, especially when we get into a client meeting or to new business pitch, like the creativity and the uniqueness of every meeting is amazing. Like there's a framework, but it's also I'm solving a problem for you today. I didn't take the same answer that I had to client M's question and apply it to client B, I started from scratch using the fundamentals I have so I think that's something that excites me. And it's always been the case. I mean, for the length of my tenure at Carat, you've seen that come through that I'm the genuineness of how people want to solve these problems. And that's why designing for people as a platform that it there's so many definitions of what that sentence can mean. I think the way that that Stephanie and Diana were just chatting about it is spot on. It's not just how we solve our clients business issues. It's how we want to want our people to feel that we're building everything around them.
Q: Why do you love this business?
Mike Law
I just I love that it's ever changing, that there's nothing stagnant about and everything that happens in the world, in and around media in and around the world impacts what we do, from wars, to peace to government to finance, like everything impacts what we do on a day to day basis. So there's no, never a dull moment.
Diana Bojaj
There's always so much to learn to Mike's point, because it's ever changing. Like, there's something new all the time. So you could never, you could never sit still and say, Oh, I'm bored. There's, there's no chance, there's no time for it, and it keeps moving. And it, there's an energy because of that, that is so exciting.
Stephanie Russell
100% You can tell we're a team because those are the two points I was gonna make as well. And it's great to feel mildly uncomfortable in your role because things are changing, and you're constantly being faced to learn new things. So I love that.
Mike Law
I don't think there's a single day that I'm not uncomfortable. Like it can be, it can be terrifying sometimes. But that's, I also think that as leaders and as you know, as you evolve as a leader, you know, the need to bring the right people to meetings and to put the right people around you. And that's a great example of Diana, and Stephanie here like they I mean, they bring skills that that I couldn't dream of having, but when we all walk into the room together, it's very complimentary and can help clients quite a bit. So yeah, I think you want to be nervous in a meeting. You want to be nervous about what you're learning, because that just means that you're challenging yourself to step up to things.
Q: Who is your biggest role model?
Diana Bojaj
Many role models, anyone that teaches children.
Stephanie Russell
I would say my late father just a fantastic work ethic. Really smart guy, but also did a great job of finding balance. So he never missed a sports game.
Mike Law
Yep. My parents no doubt.
Q: A perfect day not in the office is spent?
Diana Bojaj
Outside walking.
Stephanie Russell
I was gonna say outside too!
Q: Name an album that defined your teenage years
Diana Bojaj
Jeez, I'm gonna go with Eddie album early 90s. How about like REM or Pearl Jam.
Stephanie Russell
Oh, those are two good ones. For some reason. I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan in my teenage years. So maybe Bob Dylan Greatest Hits.
Mike Law
I got Ragtime for this last time when I talked about my love of r&b music, and my young teenage years. So I can't escape that but but I did mature it's a lot more like the Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler in that type of music.
Q: Movie you cannot turn off?
Diana Bojaj
Embarrassing but any like rom com that's playing on a Saturday afternoon so like 'Say anything's as favorite, 'Devil Wears Prada' like something you could watch a dozen times.
Stephanie Russell
Yeah, mine is Notting Hill just keeping with that theme.
Mike Law
The movie, 'The Intern' with Robert De Niro. That's one of those. Yeah, I just I just love the way that movie hits.
Q: Favorite city in the world?
Diana Bojaj
Rome.
Stephanie Russell
Oh, good one. I'm a country bumpkin. So I haven't found a favorite city yet. Maybe one by the ocean. I'm open for tips.
Mike Law
I'm gonna say Block Island. It's not a city. But I'll say Block Island is my favorite place.
Q: Things people should know about you, but they don't.
Diana Bojaj
I was gonna say I'm cheesy, but I think they know that. I think it's a secret, but it's actually not.
Stephanie Russell
I think the math nerd nerdiness is appropriate for all of us here. Yeah.
Diana Bojaj
I work out at 5:30 a.m.
Mike Law
Oh, I've never had coffee.
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