Episodes
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
71. A conversation with Russell Davies, former strategist at W+K and Nike.
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Russell Davies was Strategic Planning Director at Weiden+Kennedy in Portland and Global Consumer Planning Director at Nike. For nine years, he was a contributing editor and columnist at WIRED magazine. Today, he’s CMO at an energy start-up in London called Bulb. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach had a wide-ranging conversation about brands, briefs and whether briefs help or hurt good creative. Russell brings a unique perspective to the subject and the discussion. His is a take we don’t hear often enough. Don’t miss this conversation.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
70. A conversation with Andy Nairn, founding partner, Lucky Generals.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Andy Nairn is the author of an insightful and valuable new book, Go Luck Yourself: 40 Ways To Stack The Odds In Your Brand’s Favour. He’s also the founding partner of London’s Lucky Generals, whose clients include Amazon and Virgin Atlantic. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach quiz Andy on his thinking about luck and brand opportunity. The resulting conversation is lively, engaging and eye-opening.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
66. A conversation with Tim Holmes, Marketing Director at Land O’Lakes.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Brief writers and agency account people, pay attention! Wisdom and good advice fill this episode. An old friend, trusted colleague and fellow devotee of good creative briefs, Tim Holmes is now Marketing Director at Land O’Lakes in Minneapolis. His career spans long service in the agency world, including Campbell Mithun and Martin Williams. He jumped to the client side recently, and that became fascinating fodder for our conversation. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach quizzed Tim about the changes, challenges and opportunities he encountered in his move.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
65. A conversation with Reid Holmes, ECD IWOC Direct.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Reid Holmes is a master brand builder and award-winning writer and creative director. He’s also at work on a book titled Brand Gratitude. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach caught up with Reid and talked at length about his work at Campbell Mithun on the H&R Block campaign Reid originated called “You got people.” Reid now leads one the country’s biggest direct-marketing agencies, IWOC Direct, and we asked him about the how his experience in brands has influenced his work in the direct world. It’s an eye-opening conversation.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
64. A conversation with Chuck Abrams, CEO/Creative Director at Virtual Creative Inc.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
We talk to Chuck Abrams, founder of Virtual Creative Inc., now in the hinterlands of northwest Wisconsin, formerly in the Twin Cities. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach explore the challenges and opportunities of the small, virtual ad agency, which Chuck and his wife Carol have steered through more than two decades of growth. Lots of creatives aspire to go out on their own. Chuck has done it and succeeded, all while keeping things small. He shares his insights on briefs, strategy and doing great work, both branding and direct marketing.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
63. The Brief Bros. write a creative brief, Prologue.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
With a little help from the students in Mark Jenson's Ad Strategy and Creative Development class at the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach explore two brand problems and one brand opportunity. Then they’ll choose one brand and together, they’ll write a creative brief right before your eyes on an upcoming episode. The brands: Oatly, Hulu or Bumble. Which will it be? You gotta watch to find out!
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
62. A conversation with Jason Fox, a.k.a. Lee Clow’s Beard.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
In 2009, he sprang onto the Twitter stage impersonating one of advertising’s most iconic creatives, and dubbed himself Lee Clow’s Beard. He fooled even Clow’s closest colleagues. Today his identity is well known. Jason Fox is author of almost 3,000 tweets as Lee Clow’s Beard, plus an e-book collection of his earliest musings as the Beard on creativity, advertising and, of course, the creative brief. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach talk to the Beard…er…Jason about his start as Lee Clow’s Beard, his thoughts on the creative brief, and when he might decide to shave it all off and retire the Beard. Say it ain’t so Jason! Don’t miss this one.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
61. A conversation with Tim Leake, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at RPA.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
For the last eight years, Tim Leake has been the Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Rubin Postaer and Associates in Santa Monica, CA. He’s brought some astute thinking to RPA. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach talk to Tim about the time pressures we all face with producing work and how RPA’s Kick-start sessions address this situation, as well as a counter-intuitive talk he gave at Cannes in 2019 on ugly design.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
60. A conversation with author and copywriter Dan Nelken.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Dan Nelken’s new book, A Self-Help Guide For Copywriters: A Resource for Writing Headlines, is a must-read for junior and veteran ad writers alike. Art directors will benefit too. His story is fascinating, and in this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach quiz him about his book’s genesis and his insights on the overlooked value of “thinking” as well as his thoughts on the creative brief. Don’t miss this episode! It’s number 60! Woo-hoo! Henry and I are racking ‘em up!
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
59. Mick Jagger’s letter to Andy Warhol. It’s not a creative brief.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
It’s a famous letter between two iconic 20th century artists: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Andy Warhol. But is it, as some purport, an example of a great creative brief? The letter is an acknowledgement of an assignment. Mick hired Andy to design the album cover for the Stones’s 1969 hits album. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach explain why this letter is not only not a good creative brief. It’s not a brief at all. Classics Creative Review: Paco Rabanne print ads from the mid-1980s.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
58. A conversation with Kirstin Currie, Head of Marketing at Appliances Connection.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Kirstin Currie has had a long and productive career on the ad agency and client sides of the marketing world, including almost 15 years of marketing leadership for Best Buy in Minneapolis. I met her in 2003 when we worked together on the four loyalty programs for British Airways NA at the now defunct Carlson Marketing Group in the Twin Cities. Today, she is Head of Marketing for Appliances Connection In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach had an in-depth conversation with Kirstin about the challenges clients face with the creative brief, an aspect of briefing we have not yet explored. Kirstin offers a perspective on briefing from a marketing professional who is committed to writing and delivering concise and inspiring briefs. You don’t want to miss this episode.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
57. On the road with Faris Yakob, co-founder of Genius Steals.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Faris Yakob is a writer, thinker, teacher and an internationally recognized advocate for the creative brief. He is also half of Genius Steals with his wife Rosie. Together, they are a nomadic creative and strategic consultancy who travel with world. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach caught up with Faris in Mexico City. We had an in-depth conversation about the central role the creative brief plays in executing brand strategy. In the process, we plumbed only a fraction of Faris’s fertile brain. Henry and I decided we’ll have to invite him back someday soon. Be sure to visit the new and improved School of Genius Steals, what they describe as “a digital community for people looking to work smarter not harder.”
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
56. A conversation with Sean Duffy, CEO of the Duffy Agency in Boston and Sweden.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Sean Duffy, a former copywriter, is an advertising agency founder and CEO. His Duffy Agency serves international brands and his new book, International Brand Strategy: A Guide to Achieving International Brand Growth, is a primer for any brand that hopes to break into foreign markets. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach dive into new territory as we quiz Sean about the challenges brands face when they attempt to enter new markets, including from the perspective of creative briefs and briefing. Sean was an early advocate for Howard’s first book, “How To Write An Inspired Creative Brief.”
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
55. A conversation with Claire Hassid, rule-breaker extraordinaire.
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
Saturday Jan 14, 2023
I met Claire Hassid four years ago when I was researching my book, “How To Write A Single-Minded Proposition.” Claire was perhaps my third interview. Her insights into the insights of the SMP gave my book its purpose and direction. In this episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and I are treated to a conversation with a giant in the field of account planning and strategy. Claire shares her in-the-trenches battles over strategic direction for the brands she worked on and influenced, including Tide and Yoplait. Don’t miss this episode. Claire Hassid is one of a kind.
The Brief Bros.
Howard Ibach (left) is a former copywriter and creative director with 26 years of ad agency experience, and the author of two critically acclaimed graphic textbooks on creative briefs.
Henry Gomez (right) is VP/Director of Strategy at Zubi Advertising in Miami, a renowned Hispanic marketing agency, with 27 years of experience.