Insider Interviews

Mary Baglivo on Leadership and Building Brands on Purpose

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Episode notes

What goes into defining and building a strong brand? Ad industry legend, Mary Baglivo, tells podcast host E.B. Moss that it starts with digging deep into the customers’ desires, and creating initiatives companies can authentically get behind.

Mary also shares how her unconventional journey to the C-suite of major ad agencies, like JWT and Saatchi & Saatchi, also led to understanding what it takes to be a strong leader. Spoiler alert: listen to what employees care about -- the people behind the brand -- for starters!

Mary and E.B. also dig into:
• What is brand purpose and how it differs from but informs brand identity
• The increased consumer mandate for ESG. But can it be marketed?
• If a person can be a “brand” and how that applies to good leadership.

And how, after years of developing distinctive brand campaigns for consumer products like credit cards and cereal, Mary found her personal brand purpose: using her expertise to help universities, museums, and foundations communicate their purpose (while lifting up other women in business in the process!)

Listen to this episode for the best advice she received as a leader, and how observing people like “the most powerful woman in advertising,” Charlotte Beers, shaped her own leadership style and career.

Like the Season 2 launch episode with Jarl Mohn of E! and NPR leadership, these former CEOs look back at illustrious media and marketing careers with 20/20 hindsight, and good insights for the future. Hint: Mary shares a great idea for using #ai in the classroom!