The fifth episode of Season VI “Saturated”: IU Edition welcomes Denise Roberson, Chief Purpose Officer at TBWA, Professor and Speaker. Denise is the first Chief Purpose Officer TBWA has had. Denise shares her passion for purpose and her work to embed it inside organizations. While the work of purpose dates back to the late 1880’s, it would be over a century before brands would embrace it as a profit driver. She shares stories of brands who have walked the walk and brands who’ve badly bungled it. Her view is that brands are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Fear is not an option.
Denise also works with executives who are looking for more meaning in their professional role or looking to change function through the Executive MBA program at Pepperdine. In this episode she speaks candidly about the fatigue and confusion of purpose and even helps students formulate an answer to the dreaded holiday question from relatives: “Now why would you go into advertising?”