Next up in our monthly(ish) series where we put Smarts’ leaders in the hot seat, Smarts US’ President, Mike DaRe, talks NASCAR naming rights, moving with conviction and the genius of Dr. Rick…
1. If you could go back and relive one day in your career, which would it be?
Back in 2012(ish), I was hitting my stride on Diageo’s North American Whiskey Cultural Partnerships team—running PR and cultural comms for brands like Crown Royal and Bulleit Bourbon. At the time, Crown Royal’s biggest cultural play was NASCAR. We’re talking a car on the track and title sponsorship of a major Indy race. Pricey stuff. The real prize? The race name itself. It’s what shows up on TV, merch, and gets repeated nonstop in the lead-up. The crown jewel of the sponsorship.
So when I negotiated a deal to give away part of those naming rights to an up-and-coming record label, my colleagues thought I’d lost the plot. Instead of clawing back cash, I asked for services-in-kind: appearances by their top artists, surprise performances around race announcements, live concerts on race day, even original music. Six months of cultural heat in exchange for a piece of the race name.
Pitching it to the Brand Director and then the CMO was the most terrifying—and thrilling—moment of my career. I was either about to get laughed out of the room…or change the game. Luckily, they saw the vision. The deal went through, it worked, and sponsorships at Diageo were forever changed.
What. A. Day.
2. …Now tell us about a day that still gives you nightmares
Watching a certain spokesperson, (who I message trained and prepped and who shall remain nameless) do a LIVE national interview on behalf of a client (who shall also remain nameless)… only to repeatedly drop the direct competitor’s name. Not once, not twice—about half a dozen times.
This man is still one of my all-time favorites—he crushed roughly 60 other interviews in three days…flawlessly. But that one on-air hiccup is what a select few of us will never forget.
3. Who gave you the piece of advice you still live by – and what was it?
My college football coach gave me a piece of advice I’ll never forget:
“If you’re going to mess up (he may have used more colorful language)… do it fast.”
At the time, I was hesitating, second-guessing myself while trying to learn the defense. That hesitation was slowing me down. His point was simple: trust your instincts, commit fully, and keep moving.
It stuck with me. In football, a fast mistake is better than no decision at all—you can adjust, recover, and grow. The same is true in life and in business: hesitation keeps you stuck, but decisive action creates momentum.
It’s a reminder I’ve carried with me ever since—better to move with conviction than to stand still in doubt.
4. What piece of work done by someone else are you truly jealous of?
The Progressive Insurance Dr. Rick Campaign was, is, and will forever be a stroke of true genius. It could be that it hit me right as I was the key target for what they were selling, but the idea has created a means to untap a bottomless pit of scenarios and every time they come out with a new batch, I think about how much I would love to be in the room coming up with them!
5. What’s your elevator pitch to people thinking about getting into the industry for the first time?
In this industry, there is no prescribed path—only the one you choose to create. It can be as vast or as focused as you make it. Opportunities will present themselves, and the true key lies in seizing them when they do. Raise your hand. Stay endlessly curious. Keep learning. Remain attuned to the world around you, because your unique perspective doesn’t just inform your career—it has the power to define it.