New York - Mary Baglivo, Chairman and CEO of Latin America and Multicultural for Saatchi & Saatchi, delivered an inspiring keynote address to a packed house at the Advertising Women of New York Career Conference last weekend. Baglivo opened the annual student gathering at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology with her presentation, Becoming Creative: Secrets, Shortcuts and Surprises.
Her address began by explaining her new role at Saatchi & Saatchi, which has become even more exciting in the wake of the recent Presidential Election's showcase of multicultural groups' ever-increasing importance in the US market. Mary also recounted the path of her personal career and the changes in the industry since she started. While excited that women make up more than half of the advertising workforce she was quick to note that only a small percentage sit at the C-Suite Level and feels confident that the next generation will help close that gap.
Her speech continued by examining recent findings that 60% of CEO's consider creativity to be the most important skill in business. Given that creativity is now a must for young people seeking a place in advertising, Mary offered seven basic steps that can help today's job candidates learn to be more creative.
According to Baglivo, those 7 steps are:
- Creative people emotionalize. Emotions are more powerful than logic or reason.
- Creative people create priceless value.
- Creative people act with purpose.
- Creative people have lots of small ideas, continuously.
- Creative people reframe.
- Creative people embrace diversity.
- Creative people make Lovemarks.
"It was a real honor to address the AWNY Student Conference this year," said Baglivo. "The organization has done so much for the advertising industry, and many of our industry's most talented women attended this very conference when still in school. I hope that my advice and life experience will prove helpful to everyone in the audience preparing to embark on their new career."