Sallie Mars

Pillar 4 at INNOCEAN USA CREATIVE FOCUSED, SCIENCE INFORMED Effective, meaningful work is the love child of science and creativity. When our ideas are backed by data, research, AI and insight, they resonate and become more effective. When art and science are equally employed, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

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Do you have an in-house creative team and need a Creative Director to nourish their talent but have limited budget? What I’m offering will help, and it’s different from other fractional Creative Directors in that I will mentor your creative team to evolve their skills and capabilities rather than do the work. For me it’s about using my decades of skills to help other creatives reach their full potential for you, your clients and your bottom line. My mentor programme is about supporting your people to fulfil the work you need to the highest level. What’s the ROI?… - No need to employ a full time creative director - Ongoing design development for your studio - Greater team creativity and capability - Improved client design work - Increase in team efficiency - Better employee retention - Culture development and team bonding I have a 1 pager that I can share if you’d like to know more and can’t wait to help you. #CreativeMentor #Fractional #CreativeDirector

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The first Creative Director Masterclass is halfway through, time to sign up for the next one. Why do it? Well, it's lonely when you hit that CD chair, you need to get a lot right and navigate a lot of sh#t. Advice helps. I've done all of that and can guide you through it. In 2019 I wrote a post on LinkedIn called - HOW TO BE A CREATIVE DIRECTOR WITHOUT SUCKING AT IT. That post got 800,00+ views, about 10,000 likes and around 600 comments - it struck a nerve. In the post, I shared around 15 things I believe you need to do to be a better and more effective Creative Director/Leader. Then, I started coaching current Creative Directors/Leaders and those who wanted to grow into the role. If you're keen to get this role right, then get in touch. Limited spots are available - I am a one-person operation. Some more details are in the attached carousel. #creativedirector #creativecoach #creativecareers

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I'm deeply saddened to hear of the purging of creative talent at a company where several brilliant people I know worked. There's a disheartening belief at some companies that thoughtful, creative, strategic thinking isn't as valuable in an AI and data-driven marketing landscape. Nothing could be further from the truth. My strongest desire is to secure a role as a creative leader at a forward-thinking startup or entrepreneurial-minded growing company that needs exceptional, passionate, inquisitive minds to expand its brand, engage its community, and propel its marketing and creative efforts. If that happens, I could bring a team of people who fit that bill perfectly and immediately transform an in-house creative/marketing team. If you're looking for creative talent — ranging from brand management, design, content development, digital marketing, creative leadership, video marketing, data storytelling, and/or social media marketing, message me. I can direct you to a wide range of talent seeking immediate employment. And I can provide you with the highest recommendation and vouch for their tremendous capabilities.

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Ever had to defend your creative choices to a room full of non-creatives? Welcome to the life of an in-house Creative Director 🎨👔 Navigating feedback from the C-suite can feel like walking a tightrope, especially when execs don’t come from a creative background. Every creative leader I’ve talked to is facing this exact challenge nowadays, and it’s clearly a hot topic among members of the #DirectorsClub too. In our latest session, we delved into the art of handling creative feedback from the top brass. Check out this 2-minute snippet to get a taste of the discussion. Here’s what we covered: ⚔️ Choosing Your Battles "At what point do you fall on your design sword versus taking bad design choices to build a relationship?" -Steph (Krivitzky) Lusby 🏃 Setting Precedents Early "Be open from day one about how you critique things. Set a precedent for what people can expect from you" -Hunter Somerville 📊 Using Data to Justify Decisions "If we have research or data to support a decision, it’s much more compelling than just my opinion—even if I have a fancy title." Directors Club was born from the realization that while there are plenty of resources for tech leaders, Creative Directors don't have that same luxury. We’re here to change that by providing a space for creative leaders to share knowledge, get advice, and navigate the managerial jungle. If you’re a creative professional managing a team or who has managed a team, and you want to join this brainy, creative camaraderie, send me a message! We’re building a second cohort and I'm looking to add a few more members before we kick off. #CreativeLeadership #LeadershipInTech

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Published an in-depth breakdown of the leading #GenAI image tool strengths and weaknesses. I'll apologize in advance for Adobe Firefly 🤣 https://lnkd.in/eQR7E42H

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Sometimes, my job is designing a logo, and sometimes, my job is designing a space. We've created some fun brand experience installations for our partners that I'm really proud of (and have pushed me outside of my comfort zone). Read more about our approach to crafting identity-driven spaces in my latest blog. #BrandScape #DigitalRelativity

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How to visually tell :06 Stories in a Commercial 📽️🎬 We collaborated with Creative Director Jason Otis to tell four complete :06 stories in a :30 commercial for LCMC Health. 🏥💡 I share the process we used to develop the #VisualStorytelling, and I break down the first 6 scenes in the spot. 🎥🧩 Key aspects of the production process: ✅ #Collaboration with the creative team ✅ #VideoProduction and planning ✅ #FastPacedEditing with #QuickCuts and #1.5SecondShots ✅ #CreativeDirection to ensure a cohesive narrative Production + Post: CounterTake #CommercialProduction #VideoProduction #BehindTheScenes #Filmmaking #ContentCreation #HealthcareMarketing #HospitalMarketing #MedicalMarketing #HealthcareAdvertising #MarketingTwitter #AgencyLife #CreativeDirectors #AdAgency #DirectorsLife #FilmDirector #CommercialDirector #Expertise #KnowHow #NewOrleans #NOLA #Louisiana

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Inevitable. ... Sad. ... And totally unavoidable news that dropped today. I hurt for my friends and former colleagues in departments whose jobs will be affected. But as I've said a million times since leaving the business almost three years ago, there's a wonderful world of opportunities out there -- and people will be blown away by your skills. You can and will flourish. As for the future of journalism in New Jersey, know these things: 👉 NJAM will be a different organization moving forward. It has to be. But in no way is this the death of the state's most important and most influential news organization. We're not going back to the early 2000s, but don't believe the haters. It is really about growth from here moving forward, and there is a digital news business in place -- one that is bigger and healthier than most would imagine. 👉 The opportunities to do great, impactful journalism have never been greater across all the digital platforms. 👉 Never bet against the smart, determined and resourceful people still in the newsroom. They're the ones who built a digital business with about 25% of the staff resources from our peak. 👉 Never bet against the Newhouse family or Advance's leadership team and what can be done with 15 million unique visitors a month. That's a lot of eyeballs and a lot of data. Those earliest rules of digital still make sense: First, build an audience. Then, monetize it. To put a bow on things: Be the supportive friend today. It's not that hard and there are people who need that more than anything today.

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For brands, the highest honor, and greatest reward, is irrational love. The benefits are many. People are more likely to forgive you, pay more for your products, stay loyal when new competitors emerge and they'll instantly want your product...no. matter. what. As we dream up the next INNOCEAN USA, building and measuring irrational love for brands is critical to our mission. And the person at the heart of this is Cindy Scott, author of the Ad Age article below.

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NEW ESSAY : Sonic Dimensions Of Worldbuilding ~~~ on how worldbuilding and spatial design can expand through sound. https://lnkd.in/eM-Gu48S This works best if you hear the music examples, so for the full experience, head over to Substack. What’s your favorite example of how a brand, product, artist, movie, video game, etc uses sound to expand its world?

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Influencers are shaking up the way we shop, because they seem like regular folks who somehow always know what we need, right? Feels like Trend Du Jour to me. IMHO, without a big-hairy-audacious-idea for brands, these second-rate celebrities will disappear as fast you can say "unfollow". #InfluencerMarketing #MarketingCampaign #ConsumerBuying

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Here's my latest.

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Solid advice. I know too many Creative Directors that want to have one foot in the "doing" and one foot in the "directing/leading/mentoring". If you are hungry for the "doing" then consider stepping back. There's no shame in that. It's fun doing the do. When I see Creative Directors on every photo shoot, video shoot, brainstorm session, meeting, inserting themselves everywhere–that's not leading, that's feeding your ego. You might not be ready to lead. Trust your team, give them the guidance they need then get the eff out of the kitchen. A skilled Creative Director will know when to step in. https://lnkd.in/gCTZmA6q

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Trend: Personal Memoirs on Film   Thought this was interesting! "Memoirs in motion" is named as a luxury trend on the 2025 list from Virtuoso and the trend forecasting agency, Globetrender. According to the report, this trend reflects the growing demand for personalized story telling and memory preservation. People who take bucket list vacations may also hire professional film crews to document their travel, turning these holidays into personal legacies.   It's similar to what I've found to be true about memoirs ... they are more personal legacy builders, than ego. I talk about this in my latest blog. https://lnkd.in/gn_3cZEz Photo: Chris Murray from Unsplash

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Ellis Verdi brilliantly captures the creative heartbeat of advertising, reminding us that data alone can’t replace the magic of great ideas. His insights on the industry’s shift from genuine creativity to data-driven conformity resonate deeply. As Verdi notes, when creativity is sidelined, brands pay the price. It’s a call to reintegrate imagination into our strategies for lasting impact. Kudos to Ellis for championing creativity’s role in making brands not just seen, but unforgettable. https://lnkd.in/eeK-ASFJ

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