The Brief Bros.

92. The return of Bob Hoffman.

Henry Gomez and I welcome our friend Bob Hoffman, whose new book Adscam: How Online Advertising Gave Birth to One of History’s Greatest Frauds, and Became a Threat to Democracy is the theme of today’s episode. Bob is the first guest to make a return visit to The Brief Bros. The title of his new book says it all, but Bob gives us even more. In a scathing indictment of Adtech and the tracking it spawned, Bob tells us the scale of the problem and his prognosis for our future. This is a must-watch episode.

91. A conversation with Patricia Yanez from ESPN.

Henry Gomez and I welcome Patricia Yanez, Associate Director, Brand & Original Content Marketing at ESPN. Patricia came to my attention through our friend Professor Richard L. Gant at NYU, a past guest on #thebriefbros. Patricia gave a talk to Professor Gant’s Event Marketing & Strategies class. Turns out, Patricia is a former student of Professor Gant’s. And she’s a fan of my book on the creative brief. What better reasons to bring her on to discuss her work at ESPN? And the fact that we don’t often speak to marketers who initiate projects that require briefs. Patricia brings a passionate perspective to her work reflected in the best elements of a brief: clarity, inspiration and collaboration.

90. This nebulous thing called ”strategy.”

What comes before the creative brief? Strategy. And what, exactly, is strategy? Good question. The answer is debatable. Henry Gomez and I usually talk about the elements of a creative brief. It’s a document that comes after the strategy has been articulated. All too often, the brief is written without a clear strategy, or any strategy at all. That’s what we talk about in today’s episode. I doubt we’ve cracked this nut for all time, but we’ve added our thoughts in the hope of bringing some clarity to a foggy problem.

89. A closer look at brand tone.

Henry Gomez and I tackle another “nuts and bolts” creative brief topic: brand tone of voice. I have often said in my workshops that if any part of a brief can be cut and pasted from another brief, the “tone of voice” may be a candidate. The brand tone should be the same from one campaign to the next. But after this discussion with Henry, I’ve changed my mind. Why? It’s too important, and the act of cutting and pasting creates the possibility of taking the brand tone for granted. Henry and I explore a Crispin Porter Bogusky brief for Burger King to show you why brand tone plays a vital role in defining the brand. And why you should pay close—closer—attention to brand tone. Not just when you write a brief, but when you think about your brand. Important stuff! Don’t miss this one.

88. Classics Creative Review.

Henry Gomez and I take you back in time once again to review three classic television spots. First up is called “Stunt City” by Lowe London for Sure anti-perspirant. Next, a Fallon TV spot for John Lewis called “Monty the Penguin.” Finally, a spot called “The Epic Split” for Volvo Trucks by Forsman & Bodenfors. Henry and I agree that revisiting classic advertising is both fun and instructive. We’re reminded of the humor of the time in which these spots emerged and the degree of risk these brands we willing to take to make their message memorable.

87. A review of two student creative briefs.

Henry Gomez and I try something new—again—in this week’s episode of #thebrierbros. We share with you two creative briefs written by a student for class project. This brief writer is now a working professional strategist and (full disclosure) I have used both of these briefs in my creative brief workshops. Henry and I dissect the two briefs, one for Zippo Lighters, the others for pet adoption from the Humane Society, and offer up our thoughts. We love both briefs but bring a slightly different set of criteria to a student brief than we do to a professional brief. You’ll be impressed with the work we discuss. Maybe we can persuade the brief’s author to join us in a future episode!

86. A conversation with Steve Harrison.

This week, Henry Gomez and I take great pride in welcoming Steve Harrison, author of Can’t Sell Won’t Sell, a sober and compelling argument against the ad industry’s sad slide into prizing social justice over selling. Steve has earned his bona fides as a creative thinker and leader, having won a pile of awards as European Creative Director at OgilvyOne and Global Creative Director for Wunderman. He’s taken home more Cannes Lions (18) in his discipline than any creative director in the world. Henry and I engage Steve in a fascinating and enlightening discussion about his book, the impact it has had on the industry and his thoughts about the future.

85. A conversation with Tim Brunelle, who could be a third Brief Bros.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by another great creative from the Twin Cities, Tim Brunelle. Tim is a writer, creative director, strategist, leader and a fellow advocate for creative briefs. Tim came to our attention from our friend Mark Jenson, lecturer at the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications and a past guest on The Brief Bros. Henry and I have one of those “yes, and” conversations about our first, second and third passions: the creative brief, briefing, creative, good thinking, training. We could have talked all afternoon. But we stopped at about an hour. If you love listening to three Bros. talk about briefs, you’re gonna love this episode.

84. A lively conversation with Professor Mark Ritson.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by a luminary in the field of marketing: Professor Mark Ritson. Professor Ritson has earned a well-deserved reputation for pulling no punches in his commentary on and assessment of marketers and their brand management. Henry is an alum of the two wildly popular and well-attended mini-MBA programs Professor Ritson teaches online. Professor Ritson has the distinction of being both an insightful academic (or ex-academic as he prefers it) who has real-world experience as a marketing consultant for global brands. In this episode, Professor Ritson brings his keen eye and acerbic wit to The Brief Bros. as he discusses the state of marketing training in the US, when brand purpose makes sense and when it doesn’t and the status of brands in general.

83. Reviewing a creative brief by Crispin Porter Bogusky.

This week, Henry Gomez and I try something new and different: we share with you a real creative brief by a real ad agency. So we review both the brief itself and one TV spot that came from the brief. The agency is Crispin Porter Bogusky, a powerhouse creative shop whose work for Burger King, among other brands, shook up the industry in the mid-2000s when this brief was written. The brief is for BBQ Tender Chicken Sandwich and it dates to the mid-2000s. You can read the brief and we show you the brief in the episode. This is a rare treat. The product, the brand and the brief will whet your appetite for what makes a great brief. And you’ll be ready for something to eat.

82. Another Classics Creative Review.

This week, Henry Gomez and I return to Classics Creative Review with three television spots on The Drum’s list: World’s Best Ads of All Time, based on a reader survey. We start with a spot from Thailand called “Smoking Kid” by Ogilvy for the Thai Health Promotion Board. Next up is our review of a spot for Barbie dolls called “Imagine That” created by BBDO San Francisco. Finally, a spot for John West Salmon called “Bear” by Leo Burnett. One PSA and two spots for consumer products. Classics all. Maybe you remember them, maybe you don’t. But you won’t forget them after this episode!

81. A conversation with Gary Goldsmith, Department Chair, Creative Direction, ArtCenter in Pasadena.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by an industry veteran and legend, Gary Goldsmith. Today he is the Department Chair of Creative Direction for ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. But his resume includes stints as creative director at DDB and TBWA\Chiat\Day, as well as chairman and CCO of Goldsmith/Jeffrey before his shop was acquired by Lowe/Interpublic Group. Henry and I had a wonderful conversation with Gary about a topic near and dear to our hears: training for young creatives. It’s a lively and engaging chat, so don’t miss it.

80. A conversation with Charlotte Mair, founder/managing director, The Fitting Room.

Henry Gomez and I welcome Charlotte Mair, named by Ad Age as one of the Leading Women Europe 2021. She is the founder and managing director of her own cultural marketing agency, The Fitting Room. Charlotte’s story will resonate with American viewers. She started with virtually nothing in her bank account, and built a major branding and cultural marketing agency from scratch. We talked about her beginnings, how she turned expectations on their head and thrived as a minority entrepreneur. Don’t miss this conversation!

79. A conversation with Giles Edward, co-founder of Gasp!

Henry Gomez and I welcome Giles Edwards from the UK, creative director and co-founder of Gasp! (https://gasp.agency). Giles is also the host of a podcast called Call To Action. Giles interviews creative talent on his podcast, but today, he’s our guest. He discusses his beginnings, the challenges of starting his own agency, and what he’s learned from speaking with his guests. He’s fast approaching 100 episodes. And he’s a creative powerhouse in his own right. Rob Schwartz, CEO at TBWA\Chiat\Day says of him: “A wonderful overachiever.” Don’t miss this conversation!