Yesterday, the Mullen interns had the privilege of sitting down with Mullen CEO, Joe Grimaldi. Not many employees at any organization have the honor of sitting down with the person that runs their company, especially one the size of Mullen. After all of the small interactions I’ve had over the past 10 weeks with Mr. Grimaldi , I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Joe’s background and receive the brilliant advice he had for all of us. Here are some of the highlights I am proud to pass on.

Advice for Starting a Career in Advertising:
Demonstrate your passion for advertising. This is not an easy business to be a part of with long hours, and high amounts of stress. You have to want to do it. When you’re promoting yourself online and during interviews, display a point of view. This means have your own opinion about trends in the industry and things that you like or dislike. Share “what you will be at the company”. Explain to the recruiters what you will contribute to that company if you were hired. Have resilience and infectious enthusiasm. This job will knock you down over and over and your ability to get back up will determine how long you last in advertising. Show people that you are someone they want to work with.

Thoughts About the Future of Advertising
Advertising has always been a reflection of a culture as well as a vehicle to lead culture. The future of advertising will include new forms of “direct marketing” that use analytics to better understand the consumer and target them even more. We’ll see tv behaving more like digital and mobile will expand. It is important to have a broad knowledge of everything and to be curious of all of these things. Despite how many numbers we can crunch, don’t become slave to the numbers. Meaning, don’t let what the numbers tell you make you forget about the message you are trying to transcend. We are in the idea business, don’t forget that. Entertainment is a fundamental aspect of advertising.

Book Suggestions
“A book is like an ad, I start reading when I’m interested and I stop reading when I’m not”
So Joe is not much of a reader but suggested authors like Larry Weber (of Weber Shandwick) and Fred Goldberg. He also suggested reading anything that allows you to see inside an agency.

Favorite Campaign
Joe immediately said that his favorite campaign is the next one Mullen produces, knowing that is the answer he should say. He then gave an honest answer which included some of these great campaigns:

• Shoe Shiner: “The enthusiasm and effort you contribute to any job matters.” The only way you can get the next job that is better is to do the one you have now as well as you can. 

• Motorcycle Mechanic: “This was an opportunity for me to shape my own art and take things apart then solve the problem” With this Joe described how creativity comes in many forms and through working on motorcycles he found that he could be creative when it came to solving problems. His ability to take the bike apart and put it back together again convinced him that he could eventually do this in an entrepreneurial way with a company. 

It is important to “create a cause that people thing is worth working and putting effort into.” When people can come to work and know they believe in what they are doing they don’t mind spending long hours doing it. They will be happy to contribute the effort and they will volunteer their time because they have faith in its outcome.

Final Take-Aways:

• Outwork others
• Never forget integrity, human dignity, and respect for everyone
• Learn to play the hand you are dealt
• Aim high