Scott Rippe

Self-awareness. Consider how you react to advertising and marketing, because others will likely do the same. We're not here to manipulate people into buying things or aligning with certain brands. We're to help solve people's problems and we don't have to get overly cute to do that. Be your own worst critic by empathizing with your audience and look at your work from their point of view.

College students -- take psychology and consumer behavior classes. Learn how to research and test your ideas with real-life audiences. Learn how to become a better writer.

The books I read about genealogy and meteorology probably wouldn't interest most people. But my favorite movie of all time is "Fargo." It's hard to balance suspense with dark comedy, but Frances McDormand carried that torch high!

I would be a teacher. So much of sound marketing isn't technique that can be taught and learned; it's instinctive and inate. But so many young marketers don't allow themselves that instinct because there is "protection" in just doing what you're taught. As a teacher, I'd find ways to tap into individual talent and instinct.

I'm going to bend the rules a bit here. My 4th great grandfather, Johann Jakob Widmann, was something of an historical figure. He invented the world's first continuous paper mill in the early 19th century in Heilbronn, Germany. He has books written about him, a technical school named for him, and when I went to visit Heilbronn in 2018, I was greeted by TV/radio/newspaper reporters just because I was a descendant. Widmann is the subject of the first chapter in my family tree book, and I would love to have dinner with him to see if I got it right.