David Shing aka "Shingy" is an Australian futurist, creative director, strategic consultant, and entrepreneur. He is also called "The Digital Prophet," with good reason.

"Shingy" is a multidimensional creative specialising in advising brands, companies, and clients about inventive and effective approaches to optimizing brand value within the digital landscape.

David's story is an interesting one. His long list of accomplishments complement his long list of jobs, starting when he was a teenager. As a youth, David worked at a radio show and sold Levi's. He also became a bartender at 15 years old while also learning hotel management in high school. He became an avid photographer. He even learned four chords to try to become a band member.

"I'm very interested in so many things," David said during his sit-down with the RUN GPG Podcast.

David came from a large family in a small town in Australia. He studied both graphic and fashion design, but eventually chose the former as his profession. In his early 20s, David invented some internet technologies that opened many doors for him.

He then moved to the United States where he held many positions in large companies including AOL and Verizon Media. He left Verizon in 2019 because he said he wanted to be a better listener and teacher. That's exactly what he is doing now, advising and consulting with companies about marketing and branding anchored on empathy.

The RUN GPG Podcast had a diverse conversation with Shing covering a lot of topics. Here are some of the topics we covered in the episode:

• David Shing's journey to being a branding and advertising consultant for some of the biggest companies in the world.

• How he teaches people how to mind map so that people will think about peripheral ideas rooted in a core central thought. "It allows people to capture ideas quickly. Brand communication is lateral, not linear," said David.

• David describes himself as a creative with a very strong point of view, but at the same time, he closely aligns with empathy.

• The pandemic has shifted people's priorities and hobbies. Bedtime reading, baking, and people's ability to discover things all went up during the pandemic. Companies have to adapt to these changes.

• Every brand needs a point of view. Advertising is the business of making people want something, but brands that are smart make things that people want. It's no longer awareness-based advertising or amplification. It's actually about alignment.

• One of the biggest mistakes brands make is that they want to amplify the brand when they should be talking about empathy. They want to do what they have always done.

• Do we know what consumers are up to? No. We can guess but we don't really know because there are different types of people with different psychographics.

• Brands should focus on the "feel" and not the usual performance indexes. You have to focus on the feel and the story and not just hijack the internet with crap memes.

• The importance of USP's - What is unique about your brand, and how do you deliver that to your target audience?

• There are multiple ways to connect with people and you should optimize these tools, whether it is through sight, sound, or motion.

• A lot of brands are selling to the head to try and drive it to the heart. That's the wrong way. Artificial intelligence is a great start but it's not the panacea … yet.

• What is the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution? Intelligence and Data

• Advice to aspiring ad executives: Act like the human who is consuming the brand. The #1 ingredient is a surprise, whether they laugh or they cry, the feeling of being surprised by the emotion can take the brand a long way.

• The people David wants to have dinner with.

• David wants to be known as somebody who inspired others to do better than they thought they could.

Anyone creating in advertising or branding should definitely pay attention and take notes on this one. David Shing has become an important voice as a 'Prophet' in the age of digital technology.

Know more about GREATER PROPERTY GROUP and the RUN GPG Podcast by going to www.rungpg.com or by getting in touch with us here: [email protected].

Contact David Shing

Website: https://www.shingy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidshingy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shingy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shingy/

Contact David Morrell:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morrellionaire

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreaterdavid

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fearofdavid

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