Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away and it is a perfect time to be grateful.
There is much to be grateful about!
The economy is essentially at full employment, inflation has subsided, and consumers have been spending. We can work from anywhere and often still enjoy the distinct benefits of an office environment. The almost daily advances in AI capabilities both keep us on our toes and offer another great land grab opportunity for the quickest and most clever among us.
At Mercer Island Group we are ever so thankful to our wonderful clients as we wrap up a spectacularly successful year! And Robin and I are working with the best Mercer Island Group team ever in our thirty-plus year company history.
As we approach Thanksgiving, the Mercer Island Group team wanted to share some appreciations and share some tips on how to make marketers and agency lives easier and more efficient.
Because of these associations, we are never alone.
These organizations work for us. They work to improve today and secure our tomorrow. We are incredibly thankful for the gracious and hard-working professionals in these organizations!
These organizations have helped shape and share best practices in so many areas relating to our craft. They support us with conferences, research, white papers, analysis and opportunities to connect and collaborate. And in addition to these fine groups, there are many other fine organizations serving marketers and advertising agencies around the globe.
A few tips:
- Follow these fine organizations on their social platforms! You can access the ANA social feeds on their home page at www.ana.net and links to the 4As social presence are found at the bottom of the 4As homepage (www.aaaa.org).
- Consider joining these fine organizations and review their training and conference schedules. There is something for everyone.
Strategists, researchers, analysts, writers, podcast hosts and subject area experts make us smarter daily.
Faris Yakov. Nick Manning. Les Binet. Peter Field. Dr. Grace Kite. Karen Nelson-Field. James Hurman. Byron Sharp. Sarah Carter. Jenni Romaniuk. Anne Handley. Ed Cotton. Andrew Tindall. David Tiltman. Stephen Woessner. Drew & Danyel McClellen. Gini Dietrich. Jon Evans. And the list goes on and on.
A tip: You can’t go wrong by following these folks on social media, attending conferences when they speak or reading their books and articles. Look them up on LinkedIn. You’ll be glad you did.
The trades serve an important role, providing us with the only editorial community that is focused squarely on our industry. The writers are overworked and underpaid and a critical part of our ecosystem. Many have produced really important work during the past year.
And a special “thank you” to members of the media that quoted us this year, like The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Guardian, Ad Age, Adweek, DigiDay and others.
A tip: Increase your subscription budget for next year. Subscribe to a wide variety of these publications.
We often learn from the experiences of peers. The trade associations and their conferences help facilitate these connections. And there are also excellent peer-based networks for marketers and agency executives.
When it comes to agencies, Drew McClellen’s AMI is one of the most amazing communities in the small agency world. They lead peer networks, host outstanding conferences and lead training sessions. Drew’s newsletter and blog is a must-read and his podcast a must-listen. Small and mid-sized agencies everywhere should consider joining the AMI community. They host the annual Build a Better Agency Summit in Denver, and Robin and I will join Drew onstage in Denver for a hearty audience Q&A to close out BABA 2025 (May 20 & 21).
And there are other fine groups for agencies of all sizes. For example, SAGA caters to PR agencies and the 4As also has peer groups.
CMO Council is a good peer network for many senior marketers. The CMO Council’s 16,000+ members control over $1 trillion in aggregated annual marketing spending worldwide. The CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include more than 60,000 global executives in more than 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Basic membership is restricted to marketers and requires an application process, but it is free.
A tip: Find a peer network that caters to your industry. Engage with your peers from other agencies. There is not a problem that hasn’t been seen and solved before, and these can be game-changing relationships.
