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.
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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.
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