Schwartz Media Strategies’ president: ‘Look how far we’ve come’

What a long and strange journey 2020 has been.

The plans and strategies that communicators began the year with back in January seem like a distant memory. Looking ahead to 2021, many strategists are planning on a model with quarterly updates and benchmarks, jettisoning annual plans and inflexible tactics.

Perhaps this is a moment for communicators to take stock, here before the holiday season begins in earnest and the mad dash to the end of 2020 consumes one and all. What have we been through? What have we meant to each other?

That’s one of the reflections from Tadd Schwartz, president of Schwartz Media Strategies, when we caught up with him before the Thanksgiving holidays for our “Day in the Life” series. Here’s what he had to say about navigating COVID-19, the future of communications and more:

1. How much coffee do you drink during a day?

Schwartz: My mother is Cuban and our firm is based in the heart of Miami, so Cuban coffee is the fuel that keeps my engine running. Before the pandemic, my routine included a café con leche in the morning and a shot of Cuban espresso in the afternoon, often during a meeting with clients or our team members.