In a wide-ranging conversation on the Revenue Room Podcast, Adweek CEO Will Lee shared his vision for transforming the 45-year-old trade publication into what he calls a "business intelligence resource platform." With over two decades of experience at major media brands including NPR, People, and Entertainment Weekly, Lee brings a unique perspective to leading Adweek during a transformative period in media and advertising.
Lee's journey with Adweek began unexpectedly in his youth, reading the magazine while waiting at his local library. Now as CEO, he sees Adweek as "a startup with a great head start," positioning the brand to evolve beyond its trade publication roots to become an essential resource for the entire marketing ecosystem.
Leadership Philosophy
Will Lee’s leadership philosophy is grounded in what he calls the "three T's":
Tenacity - the ability to navigate constant industry change;
Timeliness - a sense of urgency in execution; and
Taste - maintaining high standards that extend beyond content to every aspect of the business.
Under his leadership, Adweek is evolving its revenue model. While advertising remains central, Lee envisions expanding direct-to-consumer revenue through high-value intelligence products and services designed to help professionals make better decisions.
Dual Data Strategy
Lee has implemented a dual data strategy to drive this transformation. On one side, consumer-facing data is leveraged through their data editor to deliver actionable insights for stories ranging from major mergers to brand analyses. On the other, operational data accumulated over 45 years is being used to optimize advertiser relationships and improve the subscriber experience. This data-driven approach also extends to content evolution, with an interesting trend emerging: direct traffic to Adweek.com has increased since ChatGPT's launch, as readers increasingly seek authoritative source material over AI-summarized content. To deepen this advantage, Lee plans to harness AI to unlock historical archives and provide greater context, such as tracing the evolution of holding companies.
Embracing AI
Rather than resisting AI, Lee encourages his team to embrace it as a tool to expand creative possibilities, analyze large datasets more effectively, and test and optimize content with unprecedented speed and scale. A recent partnership with Perplexity enhances search capabilities while providing valuable insights into user interaction data.
Vision for Growth
Lee’s vision is built on four strategic pillars: editorial content, events and convening, peer-to-peer community building, and business intelligence and analytics. He aims to expand Adweek's reach beyond marketing professionals to include CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and other C-suite executives who need to understand marketing's broader business impact. This strategy is guided by three key principles, or "I's": investment-grade journalism that drives financial decisions, inspiration through community and peer interactions, and intelligence that enhances professional effectiveness.
What's particularly striking about Lee's approach is his emphasis on utility and actionable intelligence. As he puts it,
I only want seven minutes of your day, but I want it to be the first seven in the morning."
This focus on becoming an essential part of professionals' daily workflow reflects a broader transformation of media brands from pure information providers to integrated business tools.
Looking ahead, Lee sees significant industry disruption on the horizon and positions Adweek to be both a provocateur and practical resource helping professionals navigate change. With a clear vision and strategic framework in place, the next chapter of Adweek's evolution will be fascinating to watch.
The conversation underscores a broader trend in B2B media: the shift from traditional publishing models to comprehensive platforms that combine content, community, and intelligence to drive business value. As Lee notes, "We have to unmess the mess" – helping professionals make sense of an increasingly complex marketing and advertising landscape.
How to listen to our full conversation with Will Lee:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-room-by-h2k-labs/id1690675143?i=1000680987954
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5E5ArR43RPMeTJo8l0jbhY?si=672GM2NSTCKai8s3lCKL6w
