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Grace Teng is partner and chief media officer at the ad agency Zambezi and its media agency, Scale by Zambezi. She has spent more than 20 years in politics and advertising.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I draw upon my experiences from over 20 years in politics and advertising to find creative ways to grow my division of the Zambezi ad agency. On any given day, that can mean crafting strategies for global brands or challenger brands on where their audiences will encounter them in media, which is an ever-changing landscape at the moment. I devote my attention internally to ways to make my company the best it can be—always pausing to remember, “If I can make someone’s life better for a period of time and help them grow, that’s the reason I do what I do.” Being a company leader is a job, but it’s also a mindset where I challenge myself to remain grounded in empathy and make sure my team feels that I have their back. Beyond my day-to-day experiences in the corporate world, I love to bring my knowledge forward as a guest lecturer, and I’ve had the good fortune to speak at USC, Georgetown University, Howard University, and Syracuse University.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? Last summer, Zambezi pulled off an epic stunt for Liquid I.V., and I felt it demonstrated how a creative approach to media can really captivate distracted crowds. The Liquid I.V. “I.V. O’Clock” campaign brought bustling Times Square to a hush at 3:55pm when a dramatic “error” message appeared on all of its digital billboards. As the clock struck 4, the error message transformed to unveil a flashing announcement that it was now I.V. o’clock, and thus, time to hydrate with Liquid I.V. For 30 minutes, Liquid I.V. owned one of the most-trafficked locations in the world, with 30 boards that were coordinated to work together creatively across three acts. Fifty delivery robots assembled to spell out “I.V.” and began distributing Liquid I.V. samples—garnering over 950k earned media impressions and extensive pickup on spectator socials for crowd-sourced content. A team of seven influencers live-posted, amplifying engagement and excitement, and it all capped off with an integration on Love Island, making this a very multifaceted and creative media integration.
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What’s your favorite ad campaign? Usually, the launch of an Apple product. The first iPod comes to mind. Seeing all of the silhouette images with the iPod, you immediately knew what it was from a distance. The product and media strategy were so ahead of their time. The OOH was innovative because those ads came with no text, and they only bought spaces at high-profile events: only at sports finals, only at awards ceremonies. Social was big, but not what it is today. It was a pioneering use of strategic OOH for a breakthrough product. OOH is actually one of my favorite types of ads; as we become more digital, physical, larger-than-life advertising is so impactful.
One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I get some of my most creative ideas while ocean swimming.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? For our client Health-Ade Kombucha, we’ve endeavored to tap into various specific audience subcultures, with strong success, thanks to the ease of access through social media platforms like TikTok. 2025 marked our first year spending more on TikTok than other social platforms, because of its receptive audience and ability to reach energized customers, so long as we frequently exchange the creative to match their rapidly changing sensibilities.
That said, I’m not crazy about the “influencer campaigns are everything” trend. I think there are a lot of valuable components that make up a campaign, in addition to an influencer partnership, that make it really sing. I see influencer partnerships as one aspect of an integrated whole.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? Digiday does a podcast at Cannes Lions, tapping into interviews with advertising leaders who are there. It’s an environment where all the hot topics and trends are being discussed, and the excitement comes through in the podcast. I think it’s the next best thing to being on the Croisette!
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