5 Minutes with… Jill Applebaum
A growth-minded leader with a passion for brand communications, branded content, social media, and tech, but mostly how it all works together, Jill Applebaum boasts a rich business history, having built experience on both agency and client side.
While these days, the chief creative officer of Public Inc. is entirely focused on strong creative, moving people to act and driving social change, her resumé includes stints at Wunderman Thompson New York, Facebook Creative Shop, and The Barbarian Group, to name a few. Therein, her work has been recognised by the likes of Cannes, Facebook Studio, D&AD, London International Awards, AICP, Clio, Art Directors Club, to name a few, across multiple mediums.
To learn more about her career, and what her first year at Public Inc. has been like, LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sits down with Jill for a chat.
LBB> You’re coming up on a year at Public Inc. - congratulations! How has your time been thus far? Has it been everything you’ve expected it to be, or have there been elements that you’ve found surprising?
Jill> Time flies when you’re having fun. I can’t believe it’s nearly been a year already! I get to spend my time among smart, passionate, talented people who are all dedicated to the most important issues facing society today. I wouldn’t say anything has been particularly surprising, but there is a lot of learning to do about such issues. I don’t have a degree in sustainability, for example, but I’m passionate about continuing to expand my knowledge as deeply as I can.
LBB> Specifically, what goals did you have in mind when you came in the door? And do you feel like you’ve achieved effective progress toward them across the past months?
Jill> I want to make Public Inc. as sought-after for our creative output as it has been for our strategy. Public Inc. began as a strategic consultancy and many of our creative opportunities come through the door via our strategic offering. I’d like to see clients seeing our audacious creativity in the world and saying, ‘I want some of that!’. We are definitely making progress, and I believe I have the exact right people in place.
LBB> Looking at your history, you’ve spent time in America, both on the agency and brand side of things, including a four-year stint at Meta. How have these experiences amalgamated to make you the creative you are today?
Jill> Media agnosticism is my religion. I spent the beginning of my career focused on mass media channels developing brand campaigns with big TV budgets, then intentionally moved to Brand Buzz, which had a real 360 approach long before other agencies were singing that song. After that, I headed to Barbarian to steep myself in digital and social (to this day, I still can’t believe I was given the opportunity there considering how light my digital/social experience was at that time. Thank you again, Edu Pou).
As for Meta, I saw that as a continuation of my desire to build that muscle. It enabled me to focus on tech-oriented solutions like AR and VR, and it pushed us to think about the most creative ways we could use the platform. I learned about mobile behaviour, how brand and performance work together, how to work with true marketing science, and so much more. And of course, I experienced different leadership styles along the way which helped me to hone my own.
LBB> With all that said and done, what made Public Inc. the right next home for you?
Jill> I’ve been scooping up every impact project I could from the time I entered the industry. And if I couldn’t find them, I’d create my own! The idea that all of my energy could go toward this kind of project felt too good to be true. I also felt an immediate connection with Phil Haid, Public Inc.’s founder and CEO. His commitment to societal change matched with his creative ambition for the agency felt very exciting to me, and I knew in my gut that we’d partner well together as we take the agency into its next chapter.
LBB> Building on this, how does the work and creative approach you’re employing today compare to your previous experiences? Does being in Canada make a difference?
Jill> I don’t find that my approach is very different, other than the fact that there’s been a bit of a learning curve as I delve deeper into issues so I can expand my knowledge. I’m based in New York, but I’ve led global teams from places with much more significant cultural differences than the US and Canada, so I’m not finding that aspect to be particularly challenging. Toronto is an amazing city. I’m lucky to be able to visit so often! Oh, and my hips no longer function because I’ve been working from my tiny apartment since 2020.
LBB> Talking about the work itself, Public Inc. places a lot of emphasis on accelerating social change through great creative. Why is this mandate so important? And how do you approach this as CCO?
Jill> Creativity can save the world. Every single problem can be solved through creativity. Whether it’s a new innovation that makes people’s lives better, a story that captures attention, or an eyebrow-raising new spin on an old problem – that’s how you make people care. And when we talk about accelerating social change, we mean getting people to care so much that they ACT. As CCO, I try to support my small but mighty team in bringing the most creative solutions to the table every time.
LBB> How are you helping brands engage, educate and lead people to take action about issues that they care about?
Jill> We have to push beyond ‘awareness’ of an issue. If people are made aware but aren’t moved to act, we haven’t done our job. We have to make action as compelling and as easy as possible. This is done partly through the smart use of data, partly through using creativity to get peoples’ attention, and partly through making the action as seamless as possible for the audience.
LBB> Of course, on the flip side, poorly done campaigns can lead to pushback, so what are the necessary ingredients to ensure the message strikes the right way?
Jill> Sometimes, the best approach is to hit the problem right on the nose. Other times, you have to charm audiences in and then deliver your message through a ‘backdoor’ approach. After years of doing this, I’m able to discern what a particular challenge calls for.
LBB> What are some of the best campaigns Public Inc. has produced in this sphere which embody this? Tell us about your choices!
Jill> I love the ‘Deck The Stalls’ campaign we just produced with Period. to tackle period poverty by inspiring people to donate period products for public restrooms during the holiday season. In the month it ran, the campaign earned over 12 million views and helped raise nearly $500,000 in monetary and product donations for those in need.
We recently launched a new brand idea for Sunnybrook Hospital called ‘This Place is Special’. It focuses on the incredible people and innovations happening every day under their roof.
Prior to my tenure, I was most impressed by ’#EFF2020’, which utilised zero budget and raised $50 thousand for Mental Health Coalition, Body Shop’s ‘Forever Against Animal Testing’, which finally resulted in policy changes this past year, and ‘Get Her There’ for the Obama Foundation’s Girl's Opportunity Alliance.
And we, of course, have a ton of exciting work in the hopper that I can’t talk about yet, but will see the world in short order!
LBB> Building on this, where will you be taking this line of work in 2024, and beyond? Do you think this will be reflective of the industry as a whole, going into the future?
Jill> There’s no shortage of issues out there right now, that’s for sure. And some brands are actually doing so much good. I am committed to continue telling those stories in the most creative way possible. I believe the industry as a whole shines brightest during the hardest times. As I said a few questions ago, creativity has the power to save the world.
LBB> Finally, life isn’t all about the job. So, what do you enjoy outside of the office, and how do you de-stress after a long day at work?
Jill> I read and write, I’m a podcast junkie, I’m on the board of a non-profit, and I spend as much time as I can with my friends and family.
