Rachel Segall’s Post

Sometimes even star power has its limits… Forma Brands, once the OG powerhouse in the influencer-driven beauty scene, thrived on the popularity of social media stars like Jaclyn Hill. But despite its initial success, by 2023 the company hit serious financial turbulence, leading to bankruptcy. Seeing this unfold reinforced a critical lesson for me: no amount of fame can replace the need for strong, sustainable business operations. The brand’s recent acquisition by Jefferies Finance for $670 million demonstrates that there is significant long-term value to be unlocked, but it requires established and experienced operations to truly thrive. Similarly, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard’s Hello Bello is another case that’s got me thinking. Launched in 2019 with the mission to make premium baby products accessible to everyone, the brand seemed destined for success. Yet, despite its high-profile founders, financial difficulties crept in, leading to bankruptcy. The brand’s acquisition by Hildred Capital Management in 2024 again shows some upside, but really underscored for me how even the most well-intentioned and well-marketed brands can falter without a solid, behind-the-scenes team keeping everything on track. These examples have reinforced something I’ve been learning along the way: while talent can bring a brand into the limelight, it’s the operational backbone—often unseen and uncelebrated—that truly determines whether it thrives or falters. This is perhaps the biggest opportunity for world-class manufacturers and e-commerce agencies to step in and thrive. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the journey from fame to successful exits in the celebrity brand world, I’d love for you to join me in exploring these themes further in my newsletter, Fame To Exit. #CelebrityBrands #BusinessStrategy #FameToExit #OperationalExcellence #BrandGrowth #DTC

In his latest piece in The Media Leader UK, #TeamHearts' UK CSO Simon Carr unpacks the true meaning of disruption and how to leverage it for real results. His article unpacks: ⭐The 3-stage framework for effective disruption ⭐How to identify & exploit Forces of Change to create a vision for the future ⭐3 actionable ways to disrupt your media strategy Don't get lost in the disruption hype. Learn how to do it right and achieve lasting success. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/d9HRw-Bg #TheMediaLeader #Disruption

💥 Surviving in a world of giants isn’t getting any easier, but there are ways to win. In a market where a few big players dominate, smaller businesses are feeling the squeeze more than ever. In the second post of the Millennial Masters Books Club, The Profit Paradox by Jan Eeckhout pulls back the curtain on how these giants have rigged the game in their favour, leaving little room for newcomers. But here’s the twist: there are strategies to outsmart them. 💡 I’ve broken down the top ideas from Eeckhout’s book to help you: 1️⃣ Stand out with a “moat” — Use innovation and unique advantages to protect your profits. 2️⃣ Stay agile and disrupt yourself — If you’re not evolving, you’re handing your edge to someone else. 3️⃣ Capture network effects — Scale quickly, build value, and keep customers hooked before someone bigger steps in. I have 8️⃣ more tips on how to survive — and thrive — against the odds. Check my review for 11 practical strategies that could make all the difference here: https://lnkd.in/eiZdpQAN

So, Omnicom just bought Interpublic Group (IPG). Another day, another merger... another rant. While many in the business press will see this as a strategic move, I can’t help but think about the people—the real talent—who might find themselves out of a job. It’s heartbreaking. I know some of these folks personally. They’re brilliant. Brilliant in ways you can’t measure with spreadsheets or profit margins. The creative industry is special that way. The best among us? They... we, are not here because we aced high school or followed some Ivy League pipeline. We’re here because we’re oddballs in an island of broken toys. We were lucky enough to find this profession, one built on sensitivity, imagination, and seeing the world differently. Allow me to throw a little story here… Imagine coming back from France, it's the summer, and your plan crashes. Fortunately, everybody survives, but it's a remote desert island. The passangers are for the most part creatives, coming back from Cannes 🫣 probably they’re not the first people you’d think of as useful under the circumstances. We’re not builders, farmers or doctors… But when problems arise, often is a different way to look at the situation what comes handy, and at night, when the fires are lit and the camp needs stories we’re fun to have around, usually more so than bankers and VC capital managers. That’s part of what makes this business so human, so irreplaceable. It’s not about the size of the corporation or the weight of the logo on the building. Creative talent doesn’t need a big group to thrive, it requires creative people. So, as we head into 2025, here’s a reminder: think carefully about your partnerships. Choose collaboration over consolidation. Build something with people who will bring you more than profits, if you can; leave space for a little creative magic. #Creativity #CreativeMagic #CreativeIndustry #CreativeVoices #AgencyLife #entrepreneur #business #interpublic #omnicom #merger

Great discussion around PR, Sales and Marketing and the potential bridges and differences which make them challenging to align.   Thanks to Rise, created by Barclays and the team at Drofa Comms for putting on the event. There were some great topics discussed including: 💥 Differing KPIs for Sales, PR and Marketing and how hard they are to align. 💥 Guiding CEOs on whats realistic with ROI expectations. 8x is probably not going to happen. 💥 The power of brand positioning & consistent messaging for differentiation. 💥 Understanding the value each discipline brings. Thanks to the speakers and moderators. Helen Disney, CEO of Unblocked Jana Straiton, Founder of Renegade; ex-Adobe, ex-PayPal VIVIENNE HSU Industry Partner at Just Built It; Mentor for start-ups and scale-ups at Rise, created by Barclays AlinaSysoeva, Deputy Head of PR at Drofa Comms Moderator: Ele Ward, Fractional CMO, Advisor at Ctrl Alt

This month marks a celebratory milestone for me: 10 years ago, in March 2014, I launched a second career, pivoting from Fortune 500 marketing, digital, and innovation executive to working with founders and corporate executives pursuing ambitious innovation and transformation agendas. Since then, I have created commercial value and derived joy from: • Making an impact using my expertise and experience to solve real, complex market challenges. • Associating my personal brand with a customer and user-centered philosophy as the cornerstone of any growth strategy. • Continuing to learn and stay on top of fast-changing trends and the unpredictability of today’s world and turn insights into implications and action. It’s been quite a decade, and I am excited and proud of what I’ve accomplished: • Wrote and published an award-winning book. • Developed an advisory practice serving c-suite executives’ growth priorities. • Shared thought leadership as a global speaker and as a Fast Company contributor. • Became a lecturer in the Columbia University Technology Management program. • Served as a board member and on advisory boards supporting professional services, AI, martech and fintech businesses’ marketing strategy, business development, growth and innovation goals. • Built a portfolio of early-stage investments as a SoundBoard Venture Fund limited partner. • Made time for family, friends, life events, professional relationships, and other personal pursuits. Thank you to all of you who have supported me on this journey – there are too many to acknowledge here, so here are just a handful: Paul Carroll, Bill Staikos, Aliza Freud, Mateo Lleras, Ian O'Sullivan, Paul Barnett, Rachel Sales, Marcia Tal, Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey, George Khachatryan, David Edelman, Sue Burton, Shruti Miyashiro, Deryl McKissack, Lori Tauber Marcus, David Wilk, Alicia Simons, Amy Binder, Erik Asgeirsson, and Michael Cerami. I recall being both full of anticipation and terrified about making the break from a 30-year routine. Looking back, I’m so happy I gave myself permission to set out on a new path, defined by having clarity on what really matters to me. Have you transformed your career? I’d love to hear about it. #innovation #marketing #growth #strategy #martech #fintech #businessdevelopment

Check out Pete Moore's comments to Beyond Activ on the top 5 current trends in the HALO sector

As entertainment and media companies approach business model reinvention and map out their route to future value, where should they be headed? PwC’s latest Perspectives report highlights four major areas of opportunity. See here: https://pwc.to/3VAS0HI

The Omnicom-IPG merger is set to reshape the agency landscape, creating the largest holding company in history. R3's Greg Paull highlights a key challenge at the heart of this deal: balancing client needs with shareholder demands.   “There’s going to need to be some real magic to identify $750 million in synergies,” said Greg Paull, President, Global Growth at MediaSense and co-founder of R3. “The group’s biggest challenge is going to be serving their client base while at the same time serving their shareholders.”   As the industry evolves, the need for stronger brand-agency integration is more critical than ever.   Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gaBgv544

Part One: It's been three years since Sir Martin Sorrell was last on the Mi3 podcast – he declared then a mea culpa of sorts: he didn't, and couldn't, transform WPP, the giant marketing services holding company he founded in the 1980s, fast enough because it was listed, hampering transformational efforts that would likely spook the investment community. At the time in 2021, Sorrell’s next generation digital holding company, S4Capital, was firing with a market cap of circa £5 billion (AUD$9.6bn), just three years after a street fight with WPP’s board saw him exit and build WPP 2.0. He was bleak on the future of his old British firm, along with WPP’s French and US-based global holding company rivals. But since then S4Capital’s market cap has plunged more than 90 per cent to £300 million (AUD $582m) as the tech sector, representing 45-50 per cent of S4’s £1bn in revenues, slashed their own marketing budgets globally. But there’s more to it – another mea culpa even – and more of Sorrell’s scorecard on his big holding company competitors along with Accenture Song’s dive into media, a move peculiar to Australia, he argues. S4 Capital Group S4S Ventures