Joe Hogan and his wife flew to the far corner of northwest Florida in early March for a long weekend.
They’ve been there ever since.
“If we’re still working from home in a month or two, we’re going to suffer through the heat of the summer here, I’m sure,” said the EVP of sales and marketing at WarnerMedia.
As a long-time TV ad sales executive, working from home is new for Joe. This is the longest period of time he’s spent in his career without traveling to a new city to meet a client.
He’s realizing that work from home involves a lot more work than it sounds like. “Work from home equals more productivity,” he said.
The ad sales team at WarnerMedia is enhancing communication, both internally and with clients, w
ho appreciate the transparency – especially without a typical upfront this year.
“[Clients] need to know what’s going on every day, not just a moment in time,” Joe said.
With sports and live events canceled, March and April were a flurry of shifting and canceling client spend commitments while helping brands reposition their messaging. That has since quieted down.
“We’re seeing a recognition now that social distancing is going to be with us for a while, and brands are creating plans for a new normal,” Joe says. “More … want to learn how to accelerate through this rather than just get through it.”
