Press | News
Rishad is often in the press being interviewed or being asked for his perspective on future, change, strategy, marketing or his book. He is often quoted in leading publications including The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and many others.
A Company of One: Rishad Tobaccowala, ’82
Chicago Booth | 10 June 2022
The former chief strategist and chief growth officer at Publicis Groupe weighs in on the next internet revolution, the joy of creating, and the future of marketing.
Ad Club Industry Legend Rishad Tobaccowala on why the next 10 years will be the best
The Drum | 31 May 2022
After more than 40 years in the industry, Rishad Tobaccowala has seen it all – or at least most of it. Upon being named Industry Legend by the Ad Club, Tobaccowala shares some advice for those starting out, as well as a prediction for where the industry is headed.
Rishad Tobaccowala on digital transformation: ‘While change sucks, irrelevance is even worse’
The Drum | 30 March 2022
The Drum speaks with acclaimed author and advisor Rishad Tobaccowala to discuss the challenges and opportunities that brands are facing in this era of profound and rapid change.
We are in midst of the Great Re-Invention: How to Keep Up
AdWeek | 26 January 2021
Perspectives on staying ahead in an ever changing world
Short Life Lessons
WorldClassPerformer | 22 January 2021
Some approaches and mindsets to thrive.
Swerving into the New Strange
The Drum | 28 October 2020
Forget the "New Normal". Here are six ways to thrive in the "New Strange".”
The Future Doesn’t Fit in the Containers of the Past
Jacob Strategies | 21 October 2020
Even though Rishad is all about the change that permeates the media landscape, his calm, steady demeanor makes it challenging to take in his words and what they mean to our business and personal lives.
Part of his thesis at the Radio Show was this resonant quote that ought to make our industry stop and think about station content – and its distribution.
“The future doesn't fit in the containers of the past.”
Identifying Issues Before Sparks Turn Into Flames
The Holmes Report/Provoke | 20 October 2020
Successful companies combine the story and the spreadsheet. The story is the people and the culture and today the spreadsheet is the technology. The tech can’t make the principal decisions. It can help you learn and monitor and manage, but it can’t make the decisions for you.
The advertising business is becoming less concentrated and more cyclical.
Economist | 27 June 2020
This is a hard year for advertising, and not just on the creative front. Global ad spending is expected to be 10% lower than in 2019, according to Groupm, the world’s largest advertising firm by billings. The pandemic led advertisers to trim marketing budgets, deprived sellers of ad space, such as cinemas, of audiences, and left the admen with no work. Rishad Tobaccowala, an adviser to Publicis Groupe, the world’s third-biggest agency, likens it to an asteroid strike: “The Earth will go on. But some dinosaurs will die.”
Inside Facebooks Clubs for its top advertisers.
Financial Times | July 12 2020
Rishad Tobaccowala, a senior adviser to Publicis who spoke to the Financial Times in a personal capacity, said of the industry’s relationship with Facebook more generally: “You’re being treated well, you’re getting taken out to dinner . . . [but] you’ll get grief if you speak out. “Sometimes there’s a bullying aspect to it . . . Since when did any company tell another company [to toe] their party line?”
Create the Future of Fade Away. Brand Equity
.Economic Times | November 3 2019
In my career I have seen and lived through the changes that have reverberated through the field and they have been many. Before going into the changes in the Industry, I would like to discuss the four driving forces that have driven this change and whose impact continues unabated.
Tobaccowala believes Human Skills are Key to Covid-19 Recovery.
WARC | May 22 2020
Rishad Tobaccowala, Publicis Groupe’s chief growth officer, believes that the short- and long-term consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic must kickstart a necessary change in the way companies operate and bring their brands to market.
In addressing an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) digital-webinar audience in a “Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data” session, Tobaccowala called for a “Great Reinvention”.
And, he believes, it is a change long overdue.
Tobaccowala believes Human Skills are Key to Covid-19 Recovery.
WARC | May 22 2020
Rishad Tobaccowala, Publicis Groupe’s chief growth officer, believes that the short- and long-term consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic must kickstart a necessary change in the way companies operate and bring their brands to market.
In addressing an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) digital-webinar audience in a “Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data” session, Tobaccowala called for a “Great Reinvention”.
And, he believes, it is a change long overdue.
Futurist Tobaccowala warns Travel Marketers not to be too data driven
Skift | September 19 2019
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
“Rishad Tobaccowala is that rare worldly thinker who knows a lot about a lot and a little about everything! With Restoring the Soul of Business, he shares actionable lessons to be a better leader and human—grounded in decades of leading and observing global business. Reading this book is like having a conversation with Rishad: it is straightforward, curious, humorous, deeply human, and usually challenging the status quo in favor of something better. This book will make you think, laugh, and—if you apply his lessons—it will make you better.”
— Matt Derella, Global Vice President Revenue and Partnerships, Twitter