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Jason Momoa is a tough act to follow. Especially if youre a Guinness marketer. Last year, the brand partnered with Momoa to direct and star in a U.S. spot for his favorite beer that ended up getting 13 billion impressions. So this year, Guinness decided to celebrate an even more valuable partnerits actual customers and fans. For the newest iteration of the long-running Lovely Day for a Guinness taglinefirst rolled out in a 1935 ad campaignthe brand collected stories from customers across all 50 states. Among the stories is the Treme Brass Brand in New Orleans, who share pints of Guinness before taking the stage. The Chicago Plumbers Union are in there, as theyve been dyeing the Chicago River green on St. Patricks Day since 1962. Theres also Minnesotas Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza, which claims to be the worlds largest ice fishing competition. Guinnesss North American vice-president of marketing Joyce He says the goal was to illustrate how Guinness is not just for St. Patricks Day or an Irish pub (though it is very much about those things). As we delved into the work, the bit that bubbled up that felt so magical was, instead of writing a story and casting actors, we know there’s real people out there who love the brand and have their real Guinness moments, so let’s go and find them, says He. Real fans Created with agency Uncommon, the new campaign solicited stories from real U.S. customers before St. Patricks Day to find as many as it could to feature. The move is the latest example of a brand shining the spotlight on its own customers for a major advertising moment, like Taco Bells Super Bowl ad featuring more than 400 fans. The more than 250-year-old brand has seen a surge in popularity recently, even running short on supply in the UK ahead of the holidays late last year. Some credit the boost to an overall interest in stout among younger customers, which includes the viral splitting the G social trend. Whether youre aiming to get your beer level down to evenly split the word Guinness on a pint glass in your first sip or not, He is hoping the diversity of locations and occasions in the new campaign will give people ideas. We know there’s a massive opportunity beyond the pub, she says. Of course, a Guinness in a pub is amazing and magical, but it’s also really great with Mexican food, and Asian food, and seafood and oysters. I think what’s worked really well for us is honestly just staying true to what’s been true about the brand for over 260 years, and just finding new ways to share that with beer people and being really, really focused about it. Commercial tradition Guinness has long navigated the balancing act between its Irish heritage and the place of prominence in pubs and St. Patricks Day that comes with it and extending its reach to a broader audience. Here are three of its best-ever ads to defy the Guinness stereotype. Surfer (1998) Directed by Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest, Under The Skin, Sexy Beast), this ad won every major advertising award, and has been named by many as one of the best commercials of all-time. Sapeurs (2014) Here the brand heads to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, in celebration of the Society of Elegant Persons of the Congo, or Sapeurs. Created with AMV BBDO, the spot spotlights a real group of men from all walks of life, who make up the group united by a love of style. The ad was also complemented by a short doc called The Men Inside The Suits, and won director Nicolai Fuglsig a 2015 Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercials. Compton Cowboys (2018) This was another portrait of a compelling group of friends, this time in Compton, California. Another from AMV BBDO, the ad is told from the perspective of Keenan Abercrombie, who tells us about how he and his friends care for and ride horses in their city better known for its gang violence.
Category:
E-Commerce
Over the last year, there has been no shortage of new career trends: From the great stay to revenge quitting, employees are rethinking their careers, their relationship to their employers, and redefining what success looks like as we potentially head into a recession. The latest trend: the glass elevator. Just like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the glass elevator can take you in any direction in your career. We are seeing a new glass elevator trend in the workplace, where more people are opting for horizontal job moves at their current employer instead of seeking a different role at a new company, shares Jennifer Roberts, AVP of talent and organizational development, AT&T. This glass elevator takes you not just up and down but sideways and, in any direction, people looking for growth and new career possibilities are moving to other disciplines or organizations. Roberts shares that she has seen many of their employees switch careers every 3 to 4 years to gain new experience, without having to leave the company. In fact, she says that at AT&T, they saw 12,800 lateral moves in 2024. She and other leaders expect to see more job-function crossover in the years to come. So, should you get on the glass elevator or not? Are you better off making a horizontal move or taking that set of stairs towards your next promotion? Heres three things to consider before you decide to get on this elevator: Will this help with your job security?Layoffs are continuing only a few months into 2025. A number of companies either cut jobs already this year or have more layoffs planned. And for many organizations, a potential recession plus the inflation rate will force leaders to make tough calls when it comes to their workforce this year. They wont just be eliminating roles that are no longer needed, but may also need to let go of individuals in order to survive as a company. If you are concerned about stability in your current role and notice that your projects are no longer a priority for the company, its time to get your resumé ready. And consider both internal and external opportunities. This might be a moment to look at a horizontal move: to go and take an assignment in a part of the organization thats growing, and where they need more talent to scale their efforts. You can look at internal openings, and you can also make connections and meet leaders overseeing new initiatives where they may need your skillset. Or they like your background and experiences and are willing to invest in upskilling you. A horizontal move in this case can help you with job security and also help you gain new experience and continue to grow in your career. Will you have training and support to take on this assignment?Before stepping on the glass elevator and accepting a horizontal move, be sure to ask if you will have the support to be successful in this role. Here are questions to consider before taking on this move: How long will this assignment be for?Gain an understanding of how long you are expected to be in this role. Things may change in the organization, and knowing how long leadership expects you to be in this role can help you mentally prepare for this commitment. Will my prior role be backfilled?Ensure your manager and leadership is aligned to your moving to this new assignment. Dont put yourself in a position where you are required to do your old job and your new job for an extended period of time. You and the team wont be set up for success. What does success in the role look like?Review the job description with your future manager. Also ask what success looks like for them. What will they have hoped you would have accomplished a year from now? Are there KPIs/goals/metrics they can share? Will you have access to training and on-boarding? Are there mentors you will be paired with who can help you learn how this team works and how to get your job done? Reflecting on these questions and getting some of the answers will help you determine if this is the right next move for you. Whats next after this ride on the glass elevator? One of the best pieces of career advice my father ever gave me was this: Every assignment is a stepping stone to what you are meant to do next. And sometimes, I was so busy getting that next assignment, that next promotion, that next big initiative, I didnt stop to think about what happens after it ends. I never asked myself or others what I should plan to do next; I wish I had been more proactive, instead of reactive, in my career. If you are going to get on the glass elevator, and take a horizontal job, make sure to ask the question: What comes after this? Its important to discuss this with your network at work before committing to this new assignment. Talk to your current manager, former managers, the person who may be your future manager on this assignment, and trusted colleagues and mentors at work. Get their advice and perspective, particularly if they have taken on a horizontal assignment in their career. Once you finish this assignment, what would you do next? Would you go back to your former division, or take on another assignment on this team? What does the path to promotion look like after taking on an assignment like this? How does this make you more or less marketable internally as a candidate for roles? The glass elevator may or not not be the right next career move for you. And in this current market, its important to explore all options, particularly if you want to stay and try to grow in your current company. So whether you take the stairs or get on the glass elevator, make sure you ask the right questions so you can make the best decisions, both in the short term and long term, for your career.
Category:
E-Commerce
The CEO’s role is evolving. Private equity is playing an increasingly influential role in shaping the expectations, performance, and tenure of CEOs. The financial environment is also changing, with influence increasingly moving from public markets to private capital. As private equity grows in importance as the dominant form of value creation, executives who excel at driving EBITDA and delivering outsize returns have become the winners. In this landscape, CEOs are increasingly being measured by their ability to generate financial returns. But true leadership requires hitting more than financial targets. The most effective leaders understand that long-term success depends on balancing financial acumen with empathetic leadership. Those who fail to adapt risk becoming transactional managers rather than transformational leaders. Understanding this shift and defining ones leadership approach is more critical now than ever. How Did We Get Here? To grasp the challenges facing todays CEOs, we must examine the forces reshaping corporate leadership. Over the past few decades, venture capital and private equity firms have evolved from peripheral participants to key drivers of corporate investment. Alongside this shift, executive compensation has moved from salary-based models to equity-driven structures, directly linking a CEOs financial success to company performance. As a result, C-suite decision-making has become increasingly data-driven, prioritizing quantitative analysis over traditional intuition-based management. However, prioritizing financial capital over human capital creates a leadership challenge: Employees do not share the same motivation for growth and profitability as CEOs. As PwC identified in a study on purpose in the workplace, employees and business leaders prioritize very different things. Employees today are driven more by meaning, community, and impact, while business leaders are motivated by growth, innovation, and differentiation. Human capital intangibleslike meaning, trust, community, respect, and culturedont fit neatly into a spreadsheet, and theyre hard to quantify. What Teams Really Need A few years ago, Google researchers put together Project Aristotle to better understand what makes teams successful. They analyzed 50 years of academic research and studied 180 teams within Google to uncover the factors behind high-performing teams. Expecting to find a formula for optimizing employee performance through data, they were surprised by the outcome. The most significant factor they found wasnt quantitative at all. Instead, it was psychological safetya climate of trust and mutual respect in which employees feel comfortable being themselves. This insight, coming from one of the worlds most data-driven companies, highlighted the human side of leadership. Great teams and great leadership are more than metrics. They are about fostering an environment where people feel safe and valued. CEOs Feel the Strain While data-driven decision-making dominates the C-suite, the emotional and human aspects of leadership remain vital. And many CEOs feel the strain of this disconnect deeply. In our 2025 survey of 150 CEOs, we explored their perspectives on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of leadership. When asked about their top business priorities, 73% of CEOs prioritized growth, and 70% focused on profitability. These are expected answers, in line with the hard metrics driving todays corporate world. But when we asked what they personally worry about, the responses shifted toward the human side of leadership. CEOs were most concerned with issues like employee morale (65%), burnout and work-life balance (58%), board relations (53%), and ethical dilemmas (48%). These factors are crucial to maintaining a thriving, sustainable business culture. Balancing Profit with People Today, CEOs face the challenge of balancing their companys financial performance with their employees’ well-being. This balancing act has never been harder. CEOs are increasingly navigating complex and charged political environments. Employees notice when their leaders prioritize profit over people or avoid taking a stand on moral or ethical issues. In some cases, the companys reputation becomes so entangled in external politics that it begins to affect employee morale and the perception of leadership. This leaves CEOs balancing the demands of external stakeholders and their employees’ needs. When CEOs fail to take a stand or are seen as playing both sides, it diminishes their credibility as true leaders. Integrating Data and Humanity To succeed in todays business landscape, CEOs must do three things. First, leaders must navigate this fundamental shift in the CEOs role as private capital increasingly shapes market dynamics. Leaders need to align their leadership style with more quantitative-led private capital expectations. Second, leaders must better connect financial capital + human capital. There is a real opportunity to implement a leadership approach that measures and values emotional intelligence, and cultural metrics alongside financial metrics. Finally, leaders need to focus on creating psychological safety to create high-performing teams. Psychological safety across the employee base will increase engagement, collaboration, innovation, retention, productivity and ultimately performance. In 2025, this balance is not just a nice-to-haveIts the entrepreneurial superpower that will separate the disruptors from the disrupted. CEOs who blend quantitative financial acumen with data-driven team management will cultivate high-performance cultures that excel in times of uncertainty.
Category:
E-Commerce
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