Experience

When my daughters were really little, I used to read them a bedtime story about a character called Chicken Licken. Remember her? She was so busy telling all her friends that the sky was about to fall in that she didn’t notice the fox that was about to eat her up. 

Gulp.

When the girls asked me what the story meant, I’d tell them this: sometimes in life you can spend so much time thinking about one thing, that you fail to notice a whole lot of other things.

Some of those things may be bad. Others may be good. But you really need to be aware of them all.

For instance, do you know that on March 20, 2025, the European Parliament proposed a digital services tax. 

If it passes, Google and Meta might pass the extra cost of paying that tax on to advertisers. 

If you’re a U.S.-based brand targeting only U.S. customers, you might shrug. 

But if you’ve got EU markets in your crosshairs, brace yourself for pricier ads – and consequently lower RoAS.

Here’s where it gets interesting: the U.S. is still the largest digital ad market, claiming 45% of global spend. 

We’ve still got the biggest platforms, the biggest economy, and the biggest appetite for scrolling and clicking. 

It’s like living in a fortress (until you realize outside forces can still knock on the gate.)

As my daughters now clearly understand, in digital marketing (and in life), ignoring what doesn’t ‘directly’ affect you can be … a lazy trap. 

Because guess what? Things you ignore today can bite you tomorrow. 

So before you tune out EU tax news, ask yourself: what else are you casually overlooking that might come back to haunt you?

Reflection

When the world feels shaky and my stock portfolio decides to take a nosedive, I remind myself: I’m healthy, my wonderful wife of 23 years still tolerates my jokes, and my kids mostly think I’m all right (except when I embarrass them in public). 

Sure, my hairline is retreating faster than my 401(k), and I’m surrounded by spry 20-somethings who probably think cassette tapes are prehistoric. But perspective matters. Because that’s what builds resilience. 

I live in the U.S., home to 45% of global ad spend, and all the big ad platforms. That’s a pretty sweet spot, no matter what the Wall Street Journal, NYT, or Bloomberg say about the latest global crises. 

I came here in ’92, and while I don’t pretend America is perfect, it’s been ‘great’ in ways that matter to me, and it keeps delivering opportunities. That’s why my overwhelming feeling at the moment is not of anxiety. It’s gratitude. 

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by gloom and doom headlines, here’s my question: how can you pivot your mindset before your worries spiral out of control?

Action

Here’s the ruthless-but-loving plan:

1. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone – In some circles, trash-talking the U.S. is trendy. But guess what? This flawed giant is a powerhouse. Being proud of it doesn’t make you ignorant – it makes you have a realistic, fact-based perspective.
   

2. Learn a New Skill – I have a built-in radar for political nonsense, courtesy of growing up under communist propaganda in Poland. But despite it all, I stayed proud of my roots. Today, I choose to appreciate America’s quirky greatness and the insane possibilities here. I’m grateful to be a citizen of this country. And I think we all should be.
   

3. Create More Value – Wealth isn’t just money. It’s health, relationships, and the sense that you’re contributing something meaningful. Treat your marketing strategy – and your life – as the chance to deliver real value.
   

4. Move Up Faster – A healthy perspective helps us stay focused, especially when the stock market or world news tries to drag us into the abyss. I don’t have it all figured out, but I’m still pushing forward. Are you?

(By the way, these four steps make up my Return on Marketing Career (RoMC) framework—more on that here.)

References

If you’d like to discuss your career journey with me one-to-one, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn.

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