S3 E16: Ad Man Brian Tierney on Why Philadelphia Has the Grit to Endure the Pandemic, the Mysteries of Marketing and Smart Risk-Taking

Summary: TRUE PHILADELPHIA PODCAST: Brian Tierney is Philadelphia's ultimate "Ad Man." The list of companies he's represented in strategizing, marketing and crisis management is long and diverse: Independence Blue Cross, Uber, Aramark, IBM, Verizon to name a few. He's the former owner and publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News and (what was then known as) Philly.com. He has a deep resume in campaign politics: Sam Katz and George H.W. Bush are among the names who have listened to Brian's advice. And he shares his traditional conservative viewpoints as a panelist on 6abc's Inside Story, of which I am a frequent host. My conservation with Brian comes at a time when uncertainty is the only certain thing. A major company like Hertz can suddenly disappear. A trip to a nearby state like North Carolina may require you to quarantine for two weeks upon your return. You may not get exact change back at a Wawa if you pay in cash and coins. Your neighbor may believe in a laughably absurd conspiracy theory surrounding a shadowy character named Q'Anon who may or may not exist. You may not even be able to bid a personal goodbye to a dying relative. Despite the feeling that a crazy, Black Swan-event is now always around the corner, Brian offers a measured, thoughtful and optimistic view of our new future. During this pandemic, I have been seeking voices like his to find comfort in our ultimate goal as humans; to make our tomorrows better. Brian believes we will make it out of this. I do too. Recorded via Zoom on July 28, 2020. In this podcast: Brian talks about being a panelist on Inside Story since 1988 and how he was selected (1:11), running for class president in the first grade and why he didn't even vote for himself (2:57), why he never ended up as a career, elected politician (3:52), his journey back to "Bal-uh Sinwood" for a career in public relations (6:54), I ask Brian the simple but complex question: How do you successfully marketing something? (8:16), why immediately loving an idea could be a bad sign (10:28), as someone who has built and sold three advertising firms, what he believes is the secret to his success (11:30), we look back at the "recent peak" of Philadelphia with the Papal Visit in 2015 and where the city is headed now (12:35), what "Philadelphia Grit" means to him (13:50), why we should be handling the coronavirus pandemic like we would an incoming blizzard (14:50), how to save the journalism industry (18:04), social media's early impact on the newspaper industry (20:05), why Facebook needs to change its attitude on addressing its many negative impacts on society (21:58), Brian's worry about the emerging political threat of China (23:30), how the ad industry is the key to forcing change with Big Tech (24:55), what kind of boss Brian is (26:15), what he thinks about employees who like to tell him why something can't happen (27:30), taking risks (27:55), why he insisted that one of his earlier companies needed to charge $15 more than any other competitor (31:25), what the "2025 Education Cliff" is all about and why it worries him (34:35), his successful campaign to find a new slogan for Philadelphia, which ended up being "Philadelphia: The Place That Loves You Back" (38:09), bringing U2 singer Bono to Philadelphia and why it proves "everyone is a human being" (41:00), why despite everything that is going on, Brian remains optimistic (43:10), why people who are struggling with their mental health should not be embarrassed (45:20).