This post is part of a weekly series called “5 Questions With…” featuring Q&As with Social Media Week Global Advisory Board members.
David Eastman is CEO of JWT North America. He is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the North American network with a particular focus on the JWT head office, New York.
David is also Worldwide Digital Director for JWT. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the digital discipline within JWT and all subsidiary companies.
He is also a member of the JWT global executive committee. Read David’s full bio here.
Q: When did JWT first get involved with Social Media Week?
David Eastman: Last February was our first time participating and featured two panels at our offices in New York on the topics of crowdsourcing in advertising and social graph optimization.
Q: Why is involvement in Social Media Week important to JWT?
DE: Well, firstly because it’s good thing for JWT to be able to support cross-industry initiatives, but more specifically because social is now such an integral part of the client/agency conversation; we think it’s great to have lots of agencies, clients and experts all in one place to debate and discuss.
This is why we’ve greatly expanded our partnership this year to involve a number of JWT’s other global offices including JWT London, São Paulo and Toronto.
Q: What is a major trend do you see rising in the social media space of the ad industry or otherwise?
DE: I call it the “I’m Brian and so is my wife” syndrome. Every type agency—digital, advertising, public relations, media, etc.—wants to “own” this space and is claiming it as theirs.
This is perhaps because the very nature of most things digital is to blur lines and not fall neatly into the (industry-created) silos we have grown up with. Due to this blurring, we also have clients going direct to companies like Facebook, because they can. All told, a very interesting time to be involved in Social Media Week.
Q: What are some ways JWT using social media to expand its efforts in the ad industry?
DE: The list is too long to mention here but we use social and community management for a variety of JWT clients including Microsoft, Stride Gum, Smirnoff, Bloomberg and others.
Q: What are a few major goals for JWT in 2011?
DE: To simply do some good stuff using technology, and using it to create some memorable, useful and engaging work for our brands. To see JWT and the word “technology” used in the same sentence … now there’s a goal.
