Green.org sat down with Aaron Wolpoff, partner and head of marketing at Double Zebra, to learn how they are helping their clients build their businesses, and his thoughts on “The Digital Self.”
Aaron, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about your background.
I am a purebred marketer: it’s my discipline, my calling, and my lifelong pursuit. I have been an agency and creative services leader and entrepreneur for 20+ years. I specialize in transforming companies and organizations to be more relevant, current, and adaptive, so they can grow and evolve. I’ve worked with big-name businesses, scrappy startups, and everything in between. I also engage in pro-bono consulting on a limited basis, and mentor individuals seeking advice on their own entrepreneurial venture or challenge in creative services.
What would you do with $1 billion dollars?
I came of age during the 90’s and the golden age of independent film. The movies I saw in my formative years, outside of the mainstream, helped to shape my way of thinking. They allowed me to see the world through others’ eyes. With a billion dollars, I would start a film production company with grants and investments for emerging filmmaking talent, to give voice to creatives with something to say. Not necessarily messages that beat you over the head. But interesting points of view, well crafted stories, and intriguing situations that have the power to make people think and change minds for the better.
Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic today?
Since the Industrial Revolution, if not before, we’ve pretended that our planet has infinite resources. It’s taken some time for consequences to kick in, but we’re seeing them, and future generations are going to pay the price. Everything is happening exponentially now. That’s why I enjoy devoting my time to companies and organizations leading the charge in their respective fields, and working to make a difference: electric vehicles, smart agriculture, land stewardship, housing. None of them are standing in the way of progress, they are each using their skills to make real contributions, and being mindful along the way. We need more of them.
What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?
Everything will be automated and hyper-personalized; my prediction is we will have a second digital “self” that knows our preferences, how we talk, what we buy, and who we know. It will make product recommendations, respond to others on our behalf, give us prompts, and do menial tasks like a personal assistant. Maybe not in ten years, but we will become more and more entwined with this second self, this digital replicant. So marketers (not to mention the human race) will have to learn how to recon with this. This is not crazy talk – we’re only a few years away. Get ready.
Aaron, thank you for joining us today and sharing your vision for the future. Learn more about Aaron and Double Zebra here.
