The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 20: Avin Narsimhan

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ Avin Narasimhan is the Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Media, and his career is the kind you point to when someone tells you the path is a straight line. It wasn't. He quit his first job with no backup plan, printed off resumes and went door to door before LinkedIn even existed, cold emailed his way in, and built one of the most respected strategy careers in the business from there. RGA on MasterCard, rebuilding comms planning at PHD, seven years up to Chief Strategy Officer, and on from there. This episode is how he did it, and what he'd tell you if you're trying to break in right now. I wanted to make this one for anyone staring at the scary headlines about AI and entry-level jobs and wondering if there's still a way in. Avin graduated right before the Great Recession, so he has lived the version of this that was equally scary, if not worse, and his answer is the most reassuring thing I have heard on the show. We get into why the industry needs your perspective more than ever, why a point of view is the real thing that gets you hired when everyone has the same degree, the reason curiosity is the one skill nobody can teach you, why you should always take the call, and how guarding every relationship pays you back a decade later. The one that stuck: never stop acting like you're three. A three year old asks 300 to 400 questions a day, and by the time we hit six, school beats it out of us. Avin thinks holding onto that is what makes a great strategist. I think it's what makes a great anything. Give it a watch and tell me which piece of his advice you're actually going to use. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:54 Marketing in the bloodline 2:34 The professor who pointed him to advertising 5:01 Quitting without a job to break in 9:52 Seeing what great strategy really looked like 10:13 The leap to PHD that became his best decision 16:36 Breaking in when the headlines are scary 18:18 Why the industry needs your perspective 21:45 A point of view is what gets you hired 23:01 Why senior people actually want to help you 25:54 Advice for your first few years 29:40 Guard every relationship 32:22 Always take the call 35:40 The one thing they can't teach: curiosity 52:13 The hard skill that still matters: storytelling 56:29 What he's driving now 57:55 Rapid-fire: who to follow 62:57 Advice to his 22-year-old self 64:04 Final thoughts Connect with Avin Narasimhan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinnarasimhan/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast