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Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat Where Next?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Hi, it's Marielle here.

Thank you all for gathering here today to pay our respects to some dearly departed friends…

The House of Sunny Hockney dress, who will live forever in our hearts and sadly for us, on Depop too. The Jacquemus Le Chiquito bag (and subsequent ASOS dupes) - if these tiny bags left a gargantuan hole in your pocket, then I’m truly sorry for your loss. And finally we say the hardest goodbye, to our dear friend, the Adidas Sambas. Cause of death - the exact moment Rishi Sunak laced them up. 

All gone, and hopefully forgotten. 

But this bubonic micro-plague is no longer solely targeting individual items, it’s now infecting entire online aesthetics. 

‍Blokette or ballet core, clean girl or coquette aesthetic, mob wife or office siren - social media's brain rot branding has allowed these micro-aesthetics to permeate the wardrobes of those chronically online. Meaning the “core-ification” of our taste and visual aesthetic is now as transient as yesterday's Adidas Sambas.  

And when left to the mercy of the algorithm, the rapid turnover of these trends has meant their life cycle  is being dramatically compressed. 

But in today's digital whodunnit, if TikTok is the trend slayer, there’s one clear accessory to their crime.

Their wholesome, unassuming cousin - Pinterest.

‍*Millennial gasps*‍

Pinterest has been our inspiration crutch since 2010 and as such, has amounted 518 million monthly active users. When a new “core” is born online, Pinterest acts as the nursery for it to grow. Churning out endless inspiration images to feed the masses in their unquenchable thirst for ‘office siren inspo pics’. ‍

Yancey Strickler, Founder of Kickstarter, notes that “People used to be born into communities, then found their individuality. Today people are born individuals, then find their communities.” And platforms like Pinterest are compounding these communities or “sub-aesthetics” and making them an attainable, shoppable reality. 

Consumers pin, purchase and post these pre-curated looks until (in the words of Miranda Priestly), they "trickle on down till we fish them out of a clearance bin" -  and the bin in this instance is TikTok.  A wasteland of regurgitated trends to be consumed, copied, and next week, cancelled. 

However, as an avid Millennial “pinner”, I cannot ignore the positive effects of Pinterest and pinning as a form of self care is now a widely shared pastime amongst younger demographics. 

Laura Montilla, a Gen Z Lab Ambassador at Edelman, notes, "most social media apps are something to avoid when prioritising mental health and wellness. Pinterest is the app that's now seen as investing in your health and creativity." 

But, as Pinterest embraces more in app shopping, it’s this self care scrolling that's playing a major role in the overconsumption and saturation of trends.

‍“Passive consumerism” occurs when we buy without conscious decision-making aka scrolling on autopilot. While Pinterest morphs casual scrolling into stealth shopping, TikTok's rapid-fire trend cycles create FOMO-driven purchases. Both platforms have mastered the art of turning passive scrolling into active consumption. 

But can you blame us? Pinterest serves us these mouthwatering aesthetics on a platter and with an accelerated pin-purchase user journey, it takes strong will power to not indulge. 

A recent Pinterest report revealed that 63% of weekly Gen Z Pinners say they're "always shopping” and although they may not always have immediate plans to buy something, Gen Z users are saving nearly 2.5 times more pins and making 66% more boards than other generations. 

And Pinterest has taken note with the platform transforming into a full-funnel solution for brands, with increasingly covert ads embedded into feeds, masquerading as normal images. And as 96% of user searches are unbranded, companies can literally insert themselves into the picture of the latest “core”. This cosy scrolling is fast becoming window shopping for the digital age - where the line between browsing and buying is blurrier than ever. 

But users are collectively smelling bullshit at the commercialisation of their once cosy corner of the internet, with the companies push towards e-commerce is giving many people the ick. 

‍"Pinterest was the last safe social media platform from ad bombardment. Now I get nothing but ads." This sentiment is echoed by others with comments like “The jump scare of clicking an image and getting redirected cuz you didn’t realise it was an ad”. In fact many people in the comments have now resorted to only scrolling with an ad blocker installed. 

However annoying, the increased ad’s are proving effective at turning passive browsers into active customers. Sprout Social reports that “Pinterest ads have been shown to deliver a 2x higher ROAS (return on ad spend) for retail brands than other digital platforms”. 

Clearly disliking something doesn't always translate into not using it - especially when I hate so many useful things in life - the tube, autocorrect, Alexa. 

So I ask the jury this, in our ongoing investigation into the murder of microtrends is there ever one guilty party? Clearly Pinterest and TikTok play a significant role in the crime, but is the trail of destruction left in their wake a symptom of their greed or our own?

And when we’re all so starved of originality, can we really bite the hand that dresses us? Or, perhaps the real perpetrator of the crime has been a reflection in our screens all along. 

‍Marielle Kouroushi Phillips
Community Manager at BeenThereDoneThat

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Supporting articles

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1. To read more like this, subscribe to Marielle’s personal newsletter Deep Scroll Diet

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2. Examining the Era of Micro Trends

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‍3. How Maybelline is leveraging Pinterest to reach Gen-Z makeup fans

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4. WTF is going on with Pinterest

Hi, it's Dan here.

I’ve recently been listening to a BBC podcast about Sting and The Police.
I’d never quite known their full back story - how they assembled largely by chance, how they rose quickly, and how for a period of around five years in the early 80s, they were the biggest band in the world.

By the time they came to make what would be their final and best-selling album, in the good old fashioned tradition of rock bands, they were not getting along too well.

The story of this album is a remarkable one.

Because despite being called Synchronicity, it’s a tale of active anti-collaboration.

When recording, band protocol was that each member would arrive at the studio with their own tracks; they’d debate these and then eventually whittle down to a final, shared selection.

This time though, Sting (the pre-tantric version) decided to assume complete control, turning up at the studio in Montserrat with a full album of pre-recorded material. The role for Andy and Stuart was therefore purely to play over these tracks, relegated to session musician status.

What followed was ultimate dysfunction.

Not only did they row bitterly for two weeks before recording even a single note, but they then each recorded their parts in entirely separate places, well away from each other.

The worst possible circumstances led to musical greatness.

Which got me thinking about collaboration.

Pre Covid, the doctrinaire view was that for collaboration to work, it was essential to be in a room together. Now it can feel just as easy to operate remotely.

Many of us are regularly in meetings that include people from all over the world. The tech is obviously important. Teams, Mural, Google Slides - whatever your bag is, these are all useful tools.

It seems to me though that tech might not be the most important enabler.

Our business has collaboration in its very DNA and my observation would be that true collaboration is truly enabled by a shared frame of reference. 
Are we all clear on exactly what we’re solving for?
Is there alignment on the ambition?
Are there specific frameworks, terminology and templates we’re using, and is everyone comfortable with these? Do we have a system?‍

Workaday stuff, you might contest - but haven’t we all been in situations where these basics are not in place and therefore where collaboration is therefore painfully unproductive? Even when you’re in the same room. 

I once had a strategist colleague who was very smart, but as a team leader was utterly unplayable, because the only structure he knew was his own opinion in the moment.
He informed people of his views, rather than uniting them under any kind of shared vision.
He abjured shared mental models.
Quite literally, a strategic dictator.

If there is no shared frame of reference, if the group is second-guessing each other, then it’s very, very difficult to be productive. I give you the UK Tory party.

Collaboration requires common ground: the shortcut to a better place, and the glue needed to stay there.

Whether you’re in the same room or not, well, as Julia Roberts once said, “that’s just geography”. 

The Police’s Synchronicity was born of perfectionism and competition.
Arguably these are useful elements in getting to great outcomes in the short term.
But the trouble is that the by-product is antagonism - so it’s just not very sustainable.
‍Synchronicity broke The Police irreparably.  

In agencies, it’s often deemed essential to good outcomes that people be physically present in the room. Because “that’s how the best work happens”.

I’m less sure. 
If we invest time and energy upfront in creating a shared vision and system, then the group has freedom within a framework. It’s operating from a base of mutual trust. And actually in our own business we have seen that this drives drastically more effective collaboration over the long term - regardless of where you’re sitting.

Just ask The Police.
And, while you’re at it, Don’t Stand So Close To Me.

Dan Gibson
Managing Director at BeenThereDoneThat

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Supporting articles

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1. Sting Eras podcast: The first of the four episodes now available.

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2. Lessons on collaboration from the story of Saturday Night Live

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‍3. Which were the best musical collaborations of all time? This piece has the answers.

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4. The HBR view

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Session details

Available to watch now on-demand - Virtual

Today's discussion will focus on three interconnected aspects of modern agency operations: the future of in-house agencies, strategies for optimizing talent mix, and the evolving role of AI in the industry.

Our aim is for our expert panel to provide an overview of the current in-house agency landscape, examining both the advantages and challenges these agencies face.

They will share valuable insights and best practices for successful implementation, while also exploring emerging innovations that are shaping the future of agency work.

This time, it’s not just asking questions, rather asking how we get this going. Who is pushing the edges of marketing services partnerships and how to identify someone to fulfill those services.

We hope you enjoy the webinar!

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What you can expect to take away from the session

Key takeaways:

1. The critical role of in-house agencies in maintaining brand consistency and authenticity
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2. How to build agility into your marketing strategy for today's fragmented media landscape
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3. Essential qualities for marketing leaders: trust, curiosity, and a learner mindset
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4. Strategies for effective collaboration between in-house teams and external partners
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5. The importance of creative leadership in driving successful marketing initiatives
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6. How AI is reshaping the marketing landscape and what skills you need to stay competitive
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7. Keys to generating high-quality work quickly: brand understanding and clear communication
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8. Building successful in-house teams through transparency, trust, and ownership
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9. Potential benefits and challenges of AI in marketing productivity and creativity
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10. Ethical considerations for leveraging AI while maintaining a human-centered approach

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Speakers

Ed Rogers

Co-Founder and CEO at BeenThereDoneThat

Prior to Co-Founding BeenThereDoneThat, Ed worked in journalism, creative agencies and talent management. He is also an early stage investor in tech enabled human-potential businesses, such as Headspace, Forme Life, Viti and Vollebak.

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Nicole Portwood

Panelist

Chief Marketing Officer at Salad & Go

Nicole is an incredible CMO who has built market-leading, iconic brands such as Tito's Vodka and Mountain Dew - now on a mission to bring greens to everyone with the fast-growing, nutritional fast food chain, Salad and Go. Nicole is just starting the journey to develop her in-house capability.

Jack Teuber

Panelist

Former leader of PwC's award-winning in-house agency

Next we have the in-house legend, Jack. Jack not only built and led PwC's in-house agency for many years, winning In-House Agency of the Year in 2021. He was also founding chairman of the ANA in-house committee. To say Jack has "been there, done that" in this space is an understatement.

John Winsor

Panelist

Founder/Chairman at Open Assembly and Author of Open Talent

Introducing John Winsor, a pioneer in the agency space who has become a world authority and thought leader on the future of work, open talent, and remote working, authoring a number of influential books on the topic. John is also the Founder and Chairman at Open Assembly, where they provide agile teams with access to experts in the industry.

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat Where Next?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'Rediscover the pleasure in marketing', David sits down with Jeremy Kanter, CMO at Fever-Tree.

Jeremy believes it has never been easier to launch a product into the market, but it has never been more important to differentiate in the market. The opportunity is found in finding the pleasure you can bring your customers.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'The pace of change: the long and short of it?', David sits down with Cindy Tervoort, Global CMO at Britvic.

Cindy shares what she has learned from building a test-and-learn culture inside and outside a large organization.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'The future of brands: the long and short of it?', David sits down with Fernando Machado, previously CMO at Burger King, Restaurant Brands International and Activision Blizzard.

Fernando discusses the need for marketers to gain credibility by delivering results in the short term in order to be free to deliver on the brand for the long term.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'How Innovation, Service, Technology and Marketing can save lives’, David sits down with Dan Gao, Chief Growth Officer at TSI Group.

Dan has worked in Nutrition for over 20 years and has seen first hand the impact that innovative products, service and now technology can have on people's lives. Her role as a marketer is to communicate these medical benefits in a way that more people can understand so she can help more people benefit.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'Clarity, Culture, and Collaboration. The keys to getting the Global-Local balance right for your company’, David sits down with Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Global Marketing at Kyndryl.

Lisa discusses the healthy and sometimes unhealthy tension that exists in marketing organisations and the need for clarity about the structure of an organisation to understand how to structure the marketing teams.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?

Welcome to another episode of "BeenThereDoneThat WhereNext?" - a series by BeenThereDoneThat, where our host and co-founder, David Alberts, delves into conversations with industry experts.

In this episode, 'The war on talent never ceases’, David sits down with Brandon Gutman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Brand Innovators.

Brand Innovators is an organisation that runs over 200 events for CMOs around the world, and Brandon believes that the CMOs who will stay ahead of the market are those who can win the race for talent by creating an internal culture that attracts and motivates the best talent in the market.

In each episode of this series, David poses three questions to his guests:

1. What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today?
2. In an ideal world, where do you imagine this could go?
3. What’s the first step you would take to get us to where we need to be?