Brand vs. Performance: United We Stand, Divided We Fall - feat. Renowned Adman, Ellis Verdi
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What happened to great advertising?
In this episode of Good Marketing with Stephanie, Stephanie Pryor sits down with legendary ad executive Ellis Verdi (President & Founder of DeVito/Verdi) for a blunt, practical conversation about why marketers need to return to classic creative fundamentals.
Ellis shares how his agency built a reputation on truth-telling creative (including campaigns that sparked public backlash and even a major First Amendment court fight), why chasing only what you can track leads to weaker brand saliency, and how performance marketing created an industry-wide creative imbalance.
You’ll also hear Ellis’ take on AI: where it’s genuinely useful, where it’s dangerous, and why ideas still win—especially for marketers early in their careers who feel like “AI is the end.”
If you’re a marketer, freelancer, agency owner, or in-house leader trying to balance short-term results with long-term brand growth, this episode will reset how you think about creative work.
Connect with Ellis:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellis-verdi-85b329/
Connect with Stephanie:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieapryor/
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