For the past 15
years, I have relied on Debbie Laskey’s Blog for expert leadership
guidance and always interesting insights into marketing best practices and recaps
of marketing trends.
Fortunately,
through the years, Debbie has also shared her expertise through a variety of postings
on my blog and I’m honored again today to feature Debbie via the following
Q&A’s:
Question:
During 2024, you published two interesting leadership series on your blog: the
Spring Leadership Series (March-June 2024) and the Olympics Leadership Series
(July-August 2024). What are some of your leadership takeaways that you learned
from the participants in those two series?
DEBBIE
LASKEY: I've been honored to attract thought leaders to my blog in Q&A
formats over the years and especially during 2024 in two leadership series. Fifteen
experts participated in my #SpringLeadershipSeries, and 17 experts participated
in my #OlympicsLeadershipSeries.
Three key
questions from the #SpringLeadershipSeries were: What is a TV show that
showcases leadership? What film showcases leadership? What work of fiction
showcases leadership?
Three key
questions from the #OlympicsLeadershipSeries were: Which Olympic moment or
event showed a lack of or clear evidence of leadership? Which Olympic sport
demonstrated effective leadership? And what was a business lesson from the
Olympics?
My take-aways
from both series were that I learned unconventional or nontraditional ways to
think about leadership, whether through a TV series (for example, thanks to a
specific character like Captain Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU) or a
film (for example, 12 Angry Men), or thanks to specific Olympic sports (for
example, rowing or gymnastics).
Question: What
do you believe business leaders should know about the future of marketing?
DEBBIE
LASKEY: It seems everywhere you look in business publications, the theme is
the same about marketing: CMO's (Chief Marketing Officers) are the members of
the C-Suite that are replaced the most often; many CEO's view marketing as a
conflict with the sales department due to not fully understanding its purpose;
and lastly, many marketing teams are forced to work in silos.
Therefore,
since these issues have remained the same over the last decade, I would tell
business leaders that it's imperative for them to learn about the importance of
all aspects of marketing: communications, brand positioning, marketing
messaging, advertising, public relations, digital marketing, social media, and
brand storytelling. If business leaders invest in sales strategies, information
technology, human resources, and other specialty areas of their businesses, why
not marketing?
According to
Gartner:
“By 2025, a perceived decay in the quality of social media sites
will push 50 percent of consumers to significantly limit their use of major
platforms.
By 2026, 80 percent of creative talent will use GenAI daily,
allowing for more strategic work, resulting in increased spending on creative.
By 2026, 60 percent of CMO's will adopt measures such as content authenticity
technology, enhanced monitoring, and brand-endorsed user-generated content to
protect their brands from widespread deception unleashed by GenAI.
By 2027, 20
percent of brands will lean into positioning and differentiation predicated on
the absence of AI in their business and products.
By 2028, brands will see
their organic site traffic decrease by 50 percent or more as consumers embrace
GenAI-powered search.”
Question:
What have you learned during your 15-year blogging journey?
DEBBIE
LASKEY: As I wrote in my first blog post in November 2009, “Should You
Blog? Blogs have been around since the early 1990’s, but should you have one?
If you answer YES, then find your voice. If you are an individual, write as you
speak and share your expertise. If a company, determine your company’s voice
and make sure that the senior management team approves. Second, develop a
timeline for updating your Blog. Daily may be too much work – weekly or monthly
may be better options. Third, create a strategy for content.”
My blog has
been a wonderful outlet for sharing my commentary about marketing and
leadership – and it's also been a way for me to showcase inspiring people (via
Q&A formats) that I've met through my social media activity and nonprofit
activities (including my work through MicroMentor where I met you, Eric!). With
every post, I learn something new. It's been an amazing 15 years so far, and
nearly 700 posts!
Without a
doubt, the most important thing I've learned during my blogging journey is to
be dedicated to writing on a regular basis. Whether it's marketing news,
sharing a Q&A, reviewing a book, or another topic, I dedicate time to
writing on a daily or weekly basis.
Question: What
are your favorite annual posts on your blog?
DEBBIE
LASKEY: Each year while watching the Super Bowl, I watch the ads. I
sometimes annoy family and friends because I take notes during the ads and ask
my fellow game watchers to quiet down during the ads – not easily accomplished
during the year's most important football game. And then, the next day, I post
my recap of the best (and sometimes worst) ads. To date, I've written 12 of
these posts. (Visit my blog on February 10, 2025, to read my review of the ads
shown during Super Bowl LIX: www.DebbieLaskeysBlog.com)
As a marketing
pro, my favorite series has been my annual “Top 10 Marketing
Highlights” posts. They started with a nod to David Letterman for the
format and appear on the first day of each year. To date, I've written 14 of
these posts. (Visit my blog on January 1, 2025, to read my Top 10 Marketing
Highlights of 2024: www.DebbieLaskeysBlog.com)
Question: What
question do you wish more people would ask about you? And what is the answer to
that question?
DEBBIE
LASKEY: During my nearly 30 years of work and volunteer experience, I’ve
had a variety of bosses. Many have resented or been envious of my education (my
MBA Degree), my experience (highlighted by my work in the Consumer Marketing
Department at Disneyland Paris in France), my gender, and my collaborative work
style.
So, I guess the
question I would appreciate being asked is, who was my best boss and why? My
answer is always my Dad. While he passed away nine years ago, his spirit is
with me everyday – especially when the Los Angeles Dodgers win! He was a
Certified Public Accountant and had his own firm. In addition to his passion
for accounting, he also epitomized excellent client service, and his clients
loved him. I worked for him in different phases of my life, as a child, during
my college years, and on and off in between jobs as an adult. He taught me
about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the importance of providing
quality customer/client service, and the importance of professional integrity.
He set a high bar, and I’ve always tried my best to spread his example wherever
I’ve worked.
I shared some
tips from my father in a previous Q&A on your blog back in 2012.
___
Debbie Laskey
has 25 years of marketing experience and an MBA Degree. She developed her
marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer
Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the nonprofit arena, and
financial services and insurance sectors. Her expertise includes brand
marketing, social media, employee engagement, leadership development, and
customer experience marketing. She is a regular contributor to several national
blogs that provide insights about marketing and leadership, and she's been
recognized as one of the “Top 50 Branding Experts” to follow on
Twitter/X at @DebbieLaskeyMBA. Visit her website at www.BrandingAndMore.net and
her blog at www.DebbieLaskeysBlog.com.
