On My Radar: Jenny Read

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I have three. The newest Taco Bell work taking on McDonald's, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas campaign which is literally “just the right amount of wrong,” and the newest content for Always with Laura Greenfield which provokes the age old argument of nature vs. nurture and how to conquer perception of what it means to be “like a girl.”

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

I use Seamless most regularly because I never have time to cook. By ordering food online, I don’t have to worry about talking to restaurant employees and trying to explain what I want to order. Accurate and easy: exactly what I need.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I recently bought a Harmon Kardon Home Theater Speaker System because my husband and I just bought an apartment, and we need music. The sound quality is amazing.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

I love Pandora because it makes decisions for me. It’s great that I can enter in an artist or a combination of many to be presented with a huge variety of new and old songs that are able to appease the mood I am in at that moment.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Currently it would have to be Mad Men. All of the aspects of the show are great: the acting, the storyline, the authenticity of an era, showcasing New York in the 50s/60s, the excitement of everything being new, nothing having been done before. It brings me back to the basics of advertising.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Life is Beautiful.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Witnessing my husband change careers at 40 years old and start at the very bottom in order to pursue his passion in the sports industry. Through perseverance, humility and genuine hard work, he has created his own career destiny. As a result, his success encouraged another dear friend to do the same. After being an Art Director in the ad business for over 20 years, she left to open up her own yoga studio.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Moving from film to digital, and then the invention of having access to your email anywhere through the Blackberry.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

Push the envelope more. Fight for good work instead of being afraid to take chances. Also, we need to slow it down a bit. The mad rush to get everything done quickly depletes creativity.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Positive reinforcement has influenced me to keep going. Who doesn’t want to be told they did a great job? In my opinion, a compliment and a thank you can go much further than money sometimes.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

If I wasn’t doing this, I would be hustling pool.