CEO Mat Baxter's New 45-Day Strategy Centers on Data and Employee Skills

In a striking comparison, Mat Baxter, the newly appointed CEO of Huge, has drawn parallels between the current state of the advertising industry and the music industry in the early 2000s. Baxter believes that both industries are undergoing similar periods of evolution, with traditional companies potentially struggling to fully invest in digital.

According to Baxter, the music industry faced a significant transformation when traditional companies failed to fully embrace digital, paving the way for companies like Apple to create a digital marketplace for music. Baxter sees the agencies industry battling similar troubles, weaning off legacy products like linear television.

Baxter and Huge's leadership team are evaluating the company as if it was starting from scratch in the first 60 days on the job. The focus is on the digital landscape, aiming to avoid being a "prisoner of the past." The goal is to position Huge for success in the digital era and ensure its relevance in the changing advertising industry.

The digitalization of the music industry is used as a reference point by Baxter to discuss the current state of the advertising industry. Baxter's analogy implies that a similar digital marketplace could potentially emerge in the advertising industry.

The evaluation of the company is a proactive measure to adapt to the changing advertising industry. Baxter and Huge's leadership team are aiming to avoid being trapped by past practices and position the company to thrive in the digital age.

Mat Baxter's arrival at Huge marks a significant shift in the company's approach to the digital landscape. His strategic move to evaluate the company is designed to ensure Huge remains at the forefront of the advertising industry's digital evolution. The comparison made by Baxter implies that the advertising industry may be at a similar stage as the music industry was in the early 2000s, making this evaluation all the more crucial.