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COMING AT YOU WEEK OF 3.2.21

A talk with the Product Management Director at VF Corporation (think Vans, The North Face, and Jansport)

Smart people tell us that taking care of our body is important for our work

A ???????? metaphor about leadership

Weekly catch up

We saw a lot of squaring up and raising fists in our marketing news last week.

Match 1: Facebook and Google vs Australia

Australia passed a media law obligating Facebook and Google to pay publishers for news content. It’s called the News Media and Digital Mandatory Bargaining Code. (We’re hoping someone comes up with a nickname.)

Both FB and Google fought the code. Google said it would take its search product from Australia, but then it seems like they chickened out. FB really did pull all news out of Australian feeds for 5 days, and in response the code did get a bit cushier for FB and even a bit for Google.

Seems like a few other countries are ready to jump on this bandwagon, so we may be seeing more laws like this.

Match 2: Tech Giants vs Maryland

Maryland can now tax the revenue of digital ads from the tech giants. As expected, the big guys responded by suing the tiny state. When grabbing your popcorn for yet another legal showdown, we take the stance that kettle corn > movie theater butter.

Match 3: Showcase Shopping Ads vs Google

On April 1, Showcase shopping ads will move to Product shopping groups. In this case, it’s not really true to call this a fight. Google is just doing what they want with their own products. RIP Showcase shopping ads.

Match 4: All chicken sandwiches vs. Chick-fil-A

We can’t ignore that the chicken sandwich rivalry just got an unexpected contestant: Taco Bell. While we all love an underdog, this fight should really be left between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.

Interview

Charmaine Madamba

Who you’re hearing from: Charmaine is a Product Management Director at VF Corporation, which houses brands like Dickies, Timberland, and Vans. She has over 10 years of experience in search marketing positions at companies like Citrix and Yahoo!.

What she’s working on: Accessibility. You might want to follow Charmaine’s approach. “Through the course of the year, I’ve been building the case that success will be established through a series of small incremental steps and wins.” She’s focused on changing the culture on her team and at her company to see the inclusive benefits of accessibility.

Her leadership advice (particularly for women):
1) Don’t lose your voice. After earning a few leadership positions, Charmaine noticed she couldn’t identify her voice like she used to. She recommends keeping track of your individuality, and to do that you need to…
2) Identify your leadership style. She points out, “Determining your leadership style and finding your voice is critical in guiding you to lead in an authentic way.”
3) Find a mentor. Charmaine says one of her influential mentors was like a therapist for her professional life. So when looking for a mentor, we recommend finding an effective communicator who has good perspective.

Our favorite moment with Charmaine:
Q: How do you balance a successful career and a healthy mental state?
A: Lots of food. Full stop.

Quick Recommendations:
What are you reading? Hidden Valley Road
What are you listening to? Revisionist History and The Pivot
Favorite brand as a consumer: I am partial to VF brands, but also acknowledge the good things that Athleta is doing.

Lightning round

Happy body, happy boss

1. Too many people neglect exercise because they see it as something separate from their main work. This is a trap. – Brad Stulberg (a good Twitter follow)
2. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as 1.5 hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32 percent. – Fort Healthcare
3. The runner’s high… has even been observed in mice and evidence points to a pleasurable and pain-killing firing of the endocannabinoid system (also known as the psychoactive receptor for cannabis). – Brock Armstrong
We think he’s saying that exercise can make us feel good the same way weed does.

Wordless Wisdom

The Famous Conductor, a metaphor by Seth Godin