Strands of Genius : Maury Giles + 2023 Digital Media Trends: Immersed and Connected
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
Younger generations are weaving TV, gaming, and UGC into a tapestry of entertainment, community, and meaning. Generations like Gen Zs and Millennials play video games and watch UGC to be entertained but also for social connection and a sense of immersion—that feeling of being deeply engaged and even transported into the screen. In contrast, Gen X and older generations are likely to feel most immersed while watching TV shows and movies and are less likely to feel a sense of community from any of these options.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
MAURY GILES, CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER, HEART+MIND STRATEGIES
>> Maury Giles guest curated Strands on April 27, 2023. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
I am a lover of life. Family is at the core. Jody and I have a blended family with 10 children (age 28 to 15) and 4 grandkids... plus a few sons-in-law! We always have something going on... and Jody truly is my miracle. That's a story for another day about how we met and came together.
I get involved in too many things. But I love it. I am a CASA volunteer helping young kiddos in the foster care system. I sit on a few state licensing boards to do my civic duty. I'm a sucker for any and all national organizations working on civility, governance, dignity, and leadership. In fact, it's pulled me in enough that I'm helping run ballot initiatives to change our electoral process, lobbying efforts to end dark money in campaigns, and driving continuing efforts to institute term limits. All in the spirit of being accountable to bring the change we need instead of just complaining about it.
I am an adjunct professor at BYU here in Utah, teaching upper level courses on insights, planning, and strategy. It's a blast and keeps things fresh.
I landed into market research and found my way to brand strategy after starting that journey as a print journalist. I love learning about people. I love writing. When I came across a case study of the '84 Reagan-Mondale case study I discovered a career option in research and strategy - so I left my graduate program and took off to DC to join Richard Wirthlin's firm. From there I knew I had found my calling.
I've worked on the agency side my entire career - Wirthlin, Harris then shifting to Omnicom shop GSD&M in Austin, started my own consultancy, sold it to Ipsos, then joined up with former colleagues to build and grow Heart+Mind Strategies.
What excites you most about what you do?
Learning a bit more about what drives human decision-making in a new industry, sector, or critical societal issue. The thrill of pushing through synthesis work with colleagues is my favorite. It is always frustrating to hit the wall until the ideas start to sing. But the break through to the singing part keeps you coming back... and in a much better experience than the draw of hitting the golf ball just one more time!
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
(1) Authenticity matters. People know when you're real, especially when you tell yourself they don't.
(2) Integrity is a way of being, not a temporary tactic. Partners work when trust is the experience from day one.
(3) Learning is everything. Curiosity. Reading. Exploring.
(4) Challenge your status quo by exploring all things "different". There is always something virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy in the thing you don't yet understand.
(5) Jump. Taking leaps of faith and risking success through trial and error is a part of the journey that shapes who and what you become. Go for it. Then adjust.
(6) More than anything, people want to be seen... including you. So, set out to see people, every day. Listen and learn. Seek and hear how others see you. New paths open this way.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
There have been a few that share common themes that really hit on all cylinders for me: (1) the issue is complex - not easy to figure out, (2) the client is all-in on finding the optimal solution AND the one anchored in a deep understanding of humans, (3) funding is sufficient to do something meaningful, (4) the impact of activating the solution is real and genuinely helps people, and (5) we are able to see it through to market entry.
The ones in my career that fit these criteria are Covering Kids campaign to promote CHIP insurance coverage for kids on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, radically new approach to smoking cessation through BecomeAnEx for Truth (formerly American Legacy Foundation), career outreach for the US Air Force, higher education program redesign for a major global program, and helping Black Americans discover and benefit from family history tools on behalf of FamilySearch. I can't pick just one!
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. The Black Lives Matter movement has shaped industry conversations around both global injustice, and also lack of representation in our industry. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
These are human awareness issues. The biggest aha I've had in this area is when a good friend, Paolo Gaudiano of Aleria, shared with us how to view DEI first through the lens of inclusion. That simple idea, I believe, is the most important to helping reframe the topic toward collaborative empathy and more compelling solutions. Including people is what matters - seeing them, caring, and engaging. Paolo's work in this area is phenomenal in my view.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
I believe you have to get to your essential priority in life and pursue that, filtering decisions on what to do or not do through that lens. The idea of balancing work and life is the art of picking what to do with your time. My experience has taught me that true balance means being present in the moment in a way that aligns with your essential priority. The fallout happens, I have discovered, when I fail to align myself with that priority and, as a result, end up not being present in several moments along the way. Honestly, when you're truly present in the moment, your ability to maximize the benefit of that moment and then do a lot more in the moments that follow grows exponentially.
One other quick thought... planning really matters. We all have the amount of time. And I realize both of those statements sound very obvious and simplistic. Yet... it is that simple. Mapping your activities by putting in the "rocks" first and then filling the rest in with the "sand" makes your ability to do more of what you need and want to do a reality.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
I'm a news reader in this rotation - NY Times, WSJ, Washington Post, Atlantic and the local papers where I live. I stream content like crazy when I can find the time. I'm a sucker for documentaries or movies based on true events. I have a strange compulsion to have a handful of books in print going at the same time as I cruise through Audible titles while driving, working in the yard, or working out. I go through a ton of books - rotating between novels, historical nonfiction, and work-related books. And I'm really a LinkedIn junky, my only real social media platform of value that I've discovered, although I fluctuate off and on with Twitter. Finally, inspiration comes regularly also through WARC - best clearinghouse of content and ideas (outside of Genius Steals, of course!).
As you know, we believe there is so much value in having a wide range of teachers. What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
A very long time ago I read an HBR article talking about analogous case studies - it was a case study of a team working on an ER re-design that turned to studying NASCAR pit crews as a source of inspiration. It seems so obvious now, but at the time the methods used really ignited ideas for how to rethink the way we were approaching our journey mapping work and analogous case review became a centerpiece. Again, simple idea that many do, but when I first read it as a young strategist I had never seen it, so it became such a compelling way to do discovery and framing of new questions.
You can keep in touch with Maury on LinkedIn and heartmind.us.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
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