Matt Weiss, President of Huge Brooklyn, has already put together quite a storied career and he’s still an up and coming talent. With a background leading global accounts at McCann like Mastercard, serving as chief of staff at KBS+ and global agency CMO at Havas, Matt has seen it all and stopped for a few minutes to share his knowledge with us.
We had a great chat with Matt and asked him 5 important questions about clients, agencies and leadership.
What Matters These Days to Clients?
They want you as a partner in their business, helping to drive growth!
The bottom line is alignment with their KPIs to drive their business growth, and to help their marketing departments have a bigger impact on their business.
What Have You Learned About the C-Suite and CMOs?
The C-suite has changed dramatically.
I think the CMOs have probably gone through the most dramatic change of any position in the company. The chief marketing officer is so much more accountable now to end sales, and that has actually moved them closer to the chief executive officer in terms of being responsible for actual output. And it’s also made it dangerous for a CMO because they’re more accountable.
I think the CMO is probably one of the most difficult jobs that you could have.
How Important is it to have a Differentiated Agency Positioning?
If you don’t know your own positioning, you’re in no position to help somebody else with theirs.
It’s not an excuse to say, “well, the cobbler has no shoes, and we’re focusing on clients, so we don’t do it for ourselves.” Most agencies suffer, because they don’t have a clear articulation of their offering, and positioning. And you have to have that today.
McCann is a great example, it’s crystal clear that they stand for Truth Well Told.
What Advice Do You Have to Agencies on Pitching?
The first thing is to learn as much as you can to supplement your knowledge about that business, so that you’re not taking uneducated guesses.
The second is to really understand the cultural rhythm of the company that you’re trying to pitch, and to match your talent to align with what that culture is all about.
The third thing is to over-invest early for a fast start, so that you up and running very quickly.
What are your Thoughts on Leadership?
Lead with humility, love and understanding. Bring your full self to work no matter what you do. You need to really think deeply about the other person and have a real heavy degree of vulnerability and humanity to lead with love.
As President of Huge Brooklyn, Matt Weiss partners with agency leadership and new clients to achieve their ambitious growth objectives. Prior to his time at Huge, Matt was global chief marketing officer and global chief revenue officer at Havas. He was also chief of staff at MDC Partners agency, KBS, and spent more than 15 years at McCann, putting together an impressive run of wins and awards and making the agency one of the true powerhouses in the industry. He was classically trained in both strategy and account management, and has spent the last eight years working with teams to create modern integrated experiences rooted in creativity, data, and technology.
Steve Boehler, founder and partner at Mercer Island Group, has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Nokia, HP, Microsoft, Sprint, Nintendo, Abbott Laboratories and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles and Jif.
