Staying Relevant
A boomer (Mark Stone) is still making a difference in a business (Dixon Schwabl ) dominated by young professionals
By Lynette M Loomis

Marketing is an industry in which “youth is in” and “mature is out.”
You hear it all the time. Someone turns 50 and suddenly their position is eliminated due to payroll cuts, contract workers and ageism.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 70.2% of marketers are between the ages of 26 and 45.
Mark Stone, 56, defies the odds.
As chief creative officer for Dixon Schwabl + Co., a highly respected marketing and advertising agency, Stone has remained relevant by maintaining a relentless level of curiosity, leaning into technology instead of running from it and by practicing servant leadership.
While he still dabbles in the work and occasionally even gets very hands on with it, he has successfully moved from “doing the everyday work” to “leading by lifting others up.”
He began his journey as a professional creative at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, then moved to various agencies in Michigan, California and New York. As an art director, he created concepts and guided the visual aspects of advertising campaigns, making sure those elements resonated with the end viewer or listener.
His successes brought him to DS+CO. The transition from doing creative work to leading a creative team is not something that is taught. It relies on using his 25 years of experience in the industry as well as remaining open-minded to the ever-changing ways people like to communicate and receive information. One of his main responsibilities is figuring out what the team needs and building the culture and environment that nurtures the best creative work possible.
“Advertising is generally an ego-driven business and we’ve worked hard to surround ourselves with people who are free of that mentality. Those are the type of people who energize me and who I show up for every day. At the same time, there’s a competitive spirit that challenges us all to do our very best work,” he said. “I’ll often see creative work that was made by another agency that I wish we did. You’re happy for them that it’s so smart, or strategic or beautiful and that motivates me to only want to dig deeper to level up whatever we’re working on. It’s on me to help inspire the team to embrace that competitive mindset and balance it with a level of humility that serves our organization.”
One of the things Stone had to tell himself in going from an art director to a creative director and finally as CCO, is that while he knew how he might do something, it was important to recognize that “that was not the only way to solve a problem.”
His role is not to take over the work of the creative team but to objectively help take it to the highest level possible.
“I’m often coming in later in the process and providing a new point of view. It’s important to create space to listen, then work to remove barriers and clear the path for them to excel. I’m asking; what’s the challenge? What one thing can we do to make it better? Can we simplify? I certainly don’t have all the answers but I’m able to facilitate the collisions of ideas that lead to creative that surprises and delights,” he explained.
Stone said he’s had some great leaders in his career who lifted him up and made him feel safe to take some creative leaps. Mike Schwabl, DS+CO board vice chairman, showed him the value of just going for it even if it felt crazy.
“When you are putting your creative ideas out there for everyone to judge, you are in a vulnerable position. I like to encourage people to go deeper, really push the boundaries, be recklessly creative. It’s much easier to pull someone back a bit when pushing the limits then to push them towards it. We have the best job you can think of. We’re paid to tap into our kindergartener selves and invent ideas that make people feel, think, rethink and ultimately take action,” he said.
How does Stone stay creative and grounded?
He’s an abstract painter. He’s a lover of nature and said that perspective fuels his creativity. He lives in Victor and cycles everywhere. He’s a technology geek and has to have the latest gadget. His volunteerism for Causewave Community Partners is a gratifying way to give back to the community.
“I have the most amazing wife, Michaela, and our Boston Terriers, Ellis and Higgins — they keep me surrounded by love, grounded, humble and definitely never bored,” he said. “I’m sure all that adds up to how the things you surround yourself with can underpin your drive to still love your work at any age. How awesome is that?”
Mark Stone’s Tips to Stay on Top

• Be honest with yourself. Can you let go? Be egoless?
• Take pleasure in deflecting the limelight and giving credit to others.
• Find the nuggets in their work and then tap into your years of experience to help it shine.
• Be passionate about lifting team members up.
• Develop ways to get to know, motivate and support your team who work remotely. They have a lot of options as to where they chose to work so make your place irresistible.
• Find ways to build culture by designing time to come together.
• Listen 80% of the time and talk maybe 10% of the time with another 10% offering ideas and wisdom.
• Be passionate about helping others.
• Recognize the work-life balance young workers expect and help maintain it.
• Stay current. Stay curious. Read and listen to everything, especially things that are outside of your comfort level or experience. You’re never too old to learn something new.
• Remain grounded and find your own creative outlets to get your personal needs for acknowledgement met.