Opinion: Don't be afraid to demand clear client communication

Intermark, Physicians Mutual allay retirement fears | Lightning Orchard, StreetEasy pay homage to NYC | Spawn Ideas leads creative for PSAs on dropouts Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 13, 2019 CONNECT WITH 4A's  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [4A's SmartBrief]( [4A's SmartBrief]( News for the advertising, media, and marcom industries [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Top Story [] [Intermark, Physicians Mutual allay retirement fears]( [Intermark, Physicians Mutual allay retirement fears]( (Physicians Mutual/YouTube) Intermark Group's new campaign for Physicians Mutual Insurance introduces comic actor John Michael Higgins as new brand spokesperson, who humorously demonstrates that the brand can alleviate any anxieties or nightmares you might be having about retirement. TV ads are running nationally, and the spots are available across the brand's digital and social properties. [The Drum (free registration)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( How is marketing changing in 2019? Digital-first marketing strategies are obsolete. To succeed in 2019, marketers need to adopt a data-first mindset that takes in the entire customer journey. Learn how top brands are already doing so. [Get the ebook](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Creative [] [Lightning Orchard, StreetEasy pay homage to NYC]( StreetEasy's new local push from Lightning Orchard, "There's Only One City," emphasizes with print and out-of-home ads all the reasons why New York is the only place to live. "StreetEasy, like the people it serves, is a New Yorker," says Lightning Orchard's Laura Janness. [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Spawn Ideas leads creative for PSAs on dropouts]( [Spawn Ideas leads creative for PSAs on dropouts]( (Live United ANC/YouTube) Spawn Ideas has created a public service announcement campaign for the United Way in Anchorage, Alaska, that starkly confronts the reasons young people drop out of education, replacing stereotypes of teenage rebellion and laziness with the grim realities of abuse, neglect and homelessness. The push is running across TV, digital, radio and print and supports the organization's goal to achieve a 90% high-school graduate rate in Anchorage by 2020. [Adweek (tiered subscription model)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Agency Insider [] [Opinion: Don't be afraid to demand clear client communication]( Clear communication is vital to develop successful client relationships, and that begins right at the beginning when agreeing on the brief, writes Chris Lowery. Challenge vague client statements or goals and guide them toward clearly defined objectives, he recommends. [Adweek (tiered subscription model)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Agencies seek to improve employee mental health]( Agencies seek to improve employee mental health (Pixabay) A Digiday survey of media agency professionals says 32% were concerned about mental health issues, and it also found a correlation between mental health and the number of hours worked. Anagram CEO Adam Cahill says he's felt less pressure since implementing a rule banning after-hours communication, and indie agency Peter Mayer offers an employee assistance program to help workers deal with stress, health and crisis. [Digiday (free content)]( (3/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Agency News [] [Lightning Orchard opens up shop in Brooklyn]( Industry agency veterans Laura Janness, Jeff Kling and Barney Robinson have founded a new Brooklyn-based independent creative shop named Lightning Orchard. Strategy is a key tenet in the agency's services, says Robinson, noting, "The communication landscape is only getting more complicated, so it's imperative to have deeper thought and better, organized thinking." [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Media & Technology Trends [] [Danish firms create gender-neutral AI voice]( [Danish firms create gender-neutral AI voice]( (Genderless Voice/YouTube) Copenhagen Pride and Virtue have created a gender-neutral artificially intelligent voice called Q that advertisers can employ in voice marketing. A short film questions why voice assistants have been given male or female voices, and shows how the first genderless voice was created. [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (3/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Association News [] [4A's Executive Leadership Program, March 26-28, NYC]( 4A's Executive Leadership Program, March 26-28, NYC (4A's) The 4A's Executive Leadership Program takes you on a journey through agency management over three simulated years in three days. This interactive, collaborative model helps prepare you for decisions to run a team or agency. Agency leaders are paired to discuss agency expansion, managing your global CEO, and recommending pitch resources. [Learn more](. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Learn more about 4A's: [Homepage]( | [Training Programs]( | [All Upcoming Events]( [] [] Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations. 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