Q and A with our Next Keynote Speaker, David Sable!

We’re looking forward to our Transformational CMO Assembly at the Four Seasons in Denver this November! Leading up to the assembly, we had the opportunity to interview our Keynote Speaker, David Sable, for a taste of what to expect at the event.

About David Sable:

David Sable is the a Senior Advisor at WPP.  He previously served as CEO of Y&R, now VMLY&R. An industry thought leader and soon-to-be published author, David is a frequent contributor to Linkedin and has often published in the Huffington Post. At WPP, David specializes in content expansion, strategic innovation, and partnerships. David was selected as both a Top 20 Must-Know Global Influencer by LinkedIn, as well as a Top 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses by Fast Company. He serves on the Board of the Special Olympics, UNICEF and on American Eagle Outfitters’ Board of Directors.

Q: Where does your passion for leadership come from? Has it been in your DNA all of your life or did you have a certain experience that triggered your passion?

A: My passion for leadership comes from the simple truth that you always remember the best leader you ever had and the worst person who tried to come off as a leader. Too often leadership masquerades as power and they are not to be conflated. I have been blessed in my life to have had a number of incredible role models, a number of whom I have written about. As for DNA, I don’t believe you can learn about leadership from a book or course, maybe its DNA, but I believe that need triggers the Leadership gene. In my life my late Father was a Rabbi, of a rather large congregation that he founded, I witnessed up close what it takes to have people follow you.

Q: Is there a specific challenge you think the marketing/advertising industry is currently facing?

A: A specific challenge? OIY. Frankly, we are facing a number of challenges but they are linked in twisted chain, partially of our own making. We continue to talk about Digital First or Mobile First or Transformation and Disruption as if those are messages about products and services, rather than just strategies and channels. We are still drowning in “Digibabbale” rather than thoughtful, insightful, creative marketing.

Q: What is one of the greatest lessons you learned on your way to becoming Global CEO of Y&R?

A: The greatest lesson I have ever learned is to be true to yourself. Never loose sight of who you are and where you came from.

Q: If you had to pinpoint it, what makes compelling content?

A: To understand what makes compelling content read the Bible or the Koran; read, watch, listen to any of the hundreds of versions of The Iliad and The Odyssey, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare: ask yourself why Harry Potter still is read in book form, the movies and play watched….and then watch or read some of the online drivel that passes for content. We throw the word content around too quickly and freely. It either connects viscerally or not.

Q: We are excited to have you join us next month as Keynote Speaker. Can you give us a preview about the message or story you want to convey to our audience? What are you hoping to instill upon the executives?

A: My story is simple, we need to shatter conventional wisdom, but not the knee jerk reaction. We all get that Digital is the foundation of the world, next! I hope to challenge everyone to have a great and lively discussion and take multiple sides of an argument. What would you fall on your sword for? It better be good. I’ll also speak about how leadership is affected by all that.

Transformational CMO Assembly

The digital revolution has forever changed the balance of power between individual consumers and brands. This need to think “customer first” has made the marketing function more vital than ever before.

C-Level executives around the world are anticipating that digital technology will continue to drive business. We’ve put together a series of executive education roundtables, keynote presentations, collaborative think tanks, educational workshops, and networking sessions with our industry experts and advisory board.

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