Samantha Gale is an Account Executive at Publicis Sapient and are latest Champion for Good! Learn about her work on our Save the Food campaign, her advice for young professionals, her favorite social good ads and more here.
Question: How have you worked with the Ad Council? What campaign(s) have you supported and what was the project you worked on with us?
Samantha Gale: Publicis Sapient has been a proud partner of the Ad Council for several years and in the summer of 2018, I joined the team as the Account lead on the Save the Food (STF) campaign. During my time with the Ad Council, we’ve worked closely together to completely restructure and redesign the STF website, develop and launch a brand-new web tool, and produce a promotional video to drive awareness and trial of that tool. All with the goal of generating awareness of food waste, and educating/motivating people to change the way they shop for and prepare food.
Q: Social good ads pull at our heartstrings. What social good ad has made you cry or stand up and cheer?
SG: Publicis Sapient and Dove recently launched a new campaign, Project #ShowUs, which is a global initiative to transform the media and advertising industry by providing tools to more authentically represent women. Together with Getty Images and Girlgaze, we built a collection of over 5,000 images featuring over 170 women, non-binary and female-identifying people, photographed by women from 39 different countries, and made it available for use by all media and advertisers. I'm incredibly happy to see our industry starting to head in the direction of more diversity and inclusivity, and I’m just as proud to be a part of the agency who helped Dove achieve this.
Q: How do you or your team integrate social good into your work, or how do you think your brand is making the world a better place?
SG: The Save the Food campaign’s goal is to educate people on how they can prevent food waste, so our team is always thinking about how we can keep social good at the top of consumers’ minds as they think, shop and eat. We wanted a website that was not only eye-catching, but informative and action-driven. A web tool that was not only fun to use, but provided real and evergreen value. Everything we do is to help and motivate consumers to fight food waste, and our team has turned into food waste warriors as a result!
Q: Why do you think it’s important for brands to have a corporate social responsibility plan in the world we live in?
SG: When it comes down to it, everyone is responsible for making our world a better place, organizations included. Corporate social responsibility shouldn’t be about checking a box and saying, “done,” it should be about genuinely putting in effort to make a positive impact so that everyone benefits.
Q: What was the greatest piece of advice someone gave you, and how did it end up helping you?
SG: One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is to set goals around the experiences I want to have and the impact I want to make. That advice freed me from the confinement of tying my goals to a time period, or a title, and encouraged me to really think about why I was doing something. It also helps me to remember the importance of the work I do and to see how every task, no matter how small, makes a difference.
One of the best pieces of advice I've received is to set goals around the experiences I want to have and the impact I want to make.
Q: What age would you want to meet up with your former self, and what advice would you give to that younger you?
SG: I would want to meet my early college self, and tell her to stop comparing herself to others so often. Our differences in opinion and taste are what make life interesting and progressive, and forcing yourself to fit into whatever box you believe you need to fit into doesn’t ever work the way you want it to. I’d also tell my younger self to explore her passions, take risks and roll with the punches.
Q: If you were giving a commencement speech to this year’s college graduates, what would you want them to know?
SG: I would tell them that when they enter the working world, don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help, to be open, and to learn as much as they can. Growth is often uncomfortable and challenging, but focus on your own growth and don’t compare where you are in life or your career with others. And to always send a thank you note or an email after an interview!
Focus on your own growth and don't compare where you are in life or your career with others.
Q: How has your organization improved or innovated the digital landscape in the last year?
SG: I think the biggest transformation we’ve gone through in the last year that’s impacted the digital landscape is our re-branding as Publicis Sapient from SapientRazorfish. With our new name and brand comes a new identity and purpose. We’re devoting ourselves to becoming the digital business transformation partner of choice, poised to help our clients thrive in this time of constant change. It’s a huge change not only for our organization, but for our clients’ organizations as well.
Q: What value(s) of your organization are you most proud of?
SG: I think Publicis Sapient has this spirit of constant learning and development, which comes out in so many of the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with. Everyone really encourages one another to learn and to think bigger. I’m also proud of how much we value solving a problem the best way possible. We don’t settle for just ‘okay’ solutions, and it results in some pretty amazing creations for our clients.
Q: What can we look forward to from your organization this year?
SG: Publicis Sapient has a huge shift ahead of us in the coming years to become a leader in digital business transformation. Consumers are changing, and the way brands and organizations interact with their consumers is going to have to change along with them. It’s exciting to be at the precipice of that shift.
Q: You’re planning a “Change the World” dinner party and you can invite anyone (living, dead or fictional). Who are three people on your list?
SG: Emma Watson, Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. I would love to pick their brains and see how they would interact with each other.
Q: In 40 years, what will people be nostalgic for?
SG: Life before smart phones! Don’t get me wrong, I rely heavily on my iPhone for work and even things like navigation, but putting the phone down and being in the moment is the best feeling. Sometimes I wish we could go back to flip phones!
Q: Tell us what you hope to see more of or experience more of in the next year, using only emojis.
SG: People supporting other people (both in and outside of business). I hope there’s less judging and more learning something by someone’s differences. And more space exploration…
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