Eric Tsytsylin

The Eric Tsytsylin speeches on laughter as a productivity ally acknowledge the merits of having a sense of humor at work. Laughter not only improves productivity, it also increases happiness, creativity, optimism, analytical precision and personal connections. The talk at Stanford Graduate School of Business also mentions the positive physical health benefits, in addition to the ones related to well-being.

In his current role, Eric is responsible for building WPP’s digital capabilities through the identification and integration of investments, acquisitions and partnerships. Concurrently, he supports clients, agencies and external partners in navigating those capabilities and using them to achieve their brand and business goals. WPP’s strategic investments span Social, Mobile, Content, and Technology, and include Fullscreen, VICE, Percolate, and Refinery29, among others. Eric is also editor of WPP’s Digital Loop newsletter and helps organize events like the annual Silicon Valley CMO Tour and WPP’s quarterly Digital Advisory Board meetings, all of which serve the company’s broader goal of catalyzing cross-Group education, innovation and collaboration.

Regardless of the media through which they communicate, Eric is a believer in the power of brands to build communities, galvanize customers and employees, and generate financial growth. During his time at Millward Brown Vermeer (formerly Optimor), he led consulting engagements whose focus ranged from the valuation of brand sponsorship and extension opportunities to the creation of global brand-building frameworks and the internal management of brand-led organizational change.

Eric’s thinking and writing has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, former P&G CMO Jim Stengel’s book Grow, and WPP’s Atticus Journal, where his essay on “Brand Voyeurism” was awarded First Prize. A strong proponent of using humor and laughter as a vehicle for creativity, productivity and human connection in the workplace, he delivered a talk on the subject at Stanford University and contributed to Second City’s book Yes, And, a practical guide to applying improvisational techniques to business. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new foods, playing racket sports and watching neurotic comedians.

Eric holds a BA, Magna Cum Laude, in Cognitive Science from Yale University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.