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INSIGHTS: 🔎 Wall Street bets on CMOs, Nab these Top Job Candidates, and A Kickstart to brand strategy & growth planning.

From human to AI and the threads between, glimpse into brand strategy, tech, and the marketing scene. This is your window seat from 30,000 feet.

Author

culture pilot
July 09, 2025

Wall Street is Betting on CMOs.

Now brand equity is on the clock.

BRAND SIGNAL

Ernst & Young recently launched EY Studio+, a new global business unit combining creativity, tech, design, and marketing under one umbrella.

It’s a signal when even the largest firms are restructuring to acquire and replicate the areas where boutique agencies and smaller firms have been leading for years.

Why it matters:
We've already built businesses that place value where brand strategy and execution intersect. That value is continuing to gain recognition at scale, and it's becoming a core lever for business impact.

FROM THE FIELD

We're fortunate to be working on some incredible projects, but we're not hiring again yet. That's unfortunate because we know a few standout humans who are open to new work. So here’s our unofficial talent spotlight:

Reply back if someone in your orbit is hiring a...

  • Visual Strategist + Illustrator
    We know a Visual Strategist who is also an Illustrator. Remember hand skills? They’ve designed sneakers for Adidas. They’ve produced campaigns for O&G Fortune 500s. They’re decades-versed in logos and all things Adobe. Print. Digital. Illustration turned to video with frame-by-frame precision. We’d hire them on the spot. So maybe you want to hire us to hire them? Or better yet, hire them direct.

  • Executive Accountant
    We know an Executive Accountant who’s fluent in financial storytelling. With a Big Four foundation and over eight years leading multi-property portfolios, they handled month-end closings like clockwork, balanced equity partner relationships, and navigated audits with the composure of someone who’s seen it all. This is the kind of accountant who helps explain what the numbers mean and where to go next.

  • Lead Software Developer
    We know a Lead Software Developer who went from solo coder to running the largest department in their company, and delivered a 4:1 ROI in the process. They’ve built apps from scratch, automated the back office, scaled infrastructure with Docker, and somehow still had time to write documentation. If you need someone who can ship and lead, this is a win.

If any of these sound like your kind of hire, please reach out.

GO TIME

Try this positioning prompt to help brainstorm on brand strategy and growth planning:

“What part of our process could a competing entity try to replicate, and how would they repackage it?”

The answers can help:

  • Sharpen your differentiation

  • Spot what’s proprietary vs. replicable

  • Codify the value you bring so it’s clear, desirable, and hard to fake

Then, when new ideas hit, let’s make sure they have a path forward with:

“Provide an actionable plan to execute this idea with clear, step-by-step instructions broken down by phase, and potential opportunities to delegate, save time, and launch iteratively.”

YOUR TAKEAWAY

“Could we explain what we don’t do just as clearly as what we do?”

In a crowded market, differentiation is key, but clarity moves the needle forward.

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