The Brief Bros.

33. Special guest David Moore, copywriter, creative director, former ad agency president.

Our first guest from the world of creative: David Moore, copywriter, creative director and former ad agency president. David joins us on The Brief Bros. to discuss his fascination with ad agencies who advertise themselves, examples of which he posts on LinkedIn and which we share in this episode. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach talk at length with David about his interest in agency self promotion as well as his horror stories regarding creative briefs.
Creative review: SeatGeek's new :30 TV spots from Fig Agency.

32. What is an advertising idea?

A quick perusal of LinkedIn reveals pundits aplenty bemoaning the state of advertising today. Chief among the complaints is, Where are the great ideas? These pundits bring back brands from yesteryear as examples of great work unmatched by today's creative agencies. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach grapple with this thorny issue. Do they have an answer? Tune in to find out. Referenced in today's episode: Project Re: Brief, an hour-long documentary.
Creative review: New creative from LVMH brand Tiffany.

31. Questions from viewers

Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach take questions from their loyal viewers, all 12 of them. From basic to nuanced, the questions give the The Brief Bros. the opportunity to share their thoughts about solving everyday headaches we all face.
Creative review: Two new :30s by Allstate. Agency: Droga5

30. Planning for failure.

What does it say about a brand's marketing team when they plan for multiple rounds of creative review? When they plan to be disappointed in the first, second or third rounds? In today's episode, Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach ponder this frustrating situation and discuss its causes, implications and solutions.
Creative Review: Droga5's new 90-second television spot for Mattress Firm.

29. Chaz Wigley’s planner’s checklist.

Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach return to Chaz Wigley's wisdom-filled blog post to examine and share more of his thinking about advertising, strategy, and brands. We only scratched the surface. Henry referenced a speech by Jeanie Caggiano, EVP/Executive Creative Director/Leo Burnett, worth reading.
Creative Review: New TV from Avanti West Coast by Adam&Eve/DDB.

28. Do we still need a creative brief?

Six months into our video podcast, The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach ask: What have we learned? Do we still need a creative brief? Reviewing comments from our guests and our own lively conversations since January, we have some thoughts that may surprise you.
Our Creative Review does a look-back of its own. We review a classic Leo Burnett spot for Malboro Cigarettes. In our discussion, we refer to a letter written by Leo Burnett, another classic worth reading. Also, a documentary by Google called Project Re-Brief: A Film About Re-Imagining Advertising.

27. Paul Feldwick challenges the ad industry to think differently about the brief and creativity.

Paul Feldwick rose to Head of Planning at famed London ad agency BMP, where he worked for over 30 years. Since leaving the agency, he writes and lectures on the advertising business, and is the author of two books, "The Anatomy of Humbug: How To Think Differently About Advertising," and his newest book, "Why Does The Pedlar Sing? What Creativity Really Means In Advertising".
Paul joins Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach on this week's episode of The Brief Bros. to discuss his books, the role of the creative brief, the importance of entertainment and fame in advertising, and how his thinking has been received in the industry.
Creative Review: Budweiser's short film, "Go Fourth, America." Media agency: VaynerMedia.

26. The sorry state of advertising training.

Ad agencies used to be the sacred halls of training for copywriters, art directors, account people and planners. That was then. Today, the duties have fallen to undergraduate and graduate schools. Agencies have abandoned their once vaulted place as inculcators of advertising wisdom. In today's episode of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach  talk about this sad state of affairs and offer advice for young people who aspire to a career in advertising.
Creative review: Postmates new TV.

25. No idea needed. Is execution-based advertising here to stay?

Which are better ads: execution based or idea based? Is the argument even valid? Are these the only kinds of ads? Germany-based marketing consultant Thomas Braun wrote a lengthy commentary on LinkedIn on June 9 presenting his argument. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach address Thomas's commentary and challenge his thinking in today's episode of The Brief Bros. We also reached out to Thomas and invited him to join us in an upcoming episode to respond to our discussion.
Creative review: Ziploc Bags, OOH. Agency: BBDO Shanghai.

24. Three common questions from workshop attendees

Howard Ibach teaches creative brief writing workshops for the Association of National Advertisers. He hears many questions at his training sessions. In today's episode of The Brief Bros., Howard and co-host Henry Gomez address three of the most common questions Howard hears, and offer up their insights.
Creative review: New TV from Petsmart "I'll Do Anything." Agency: Deutsch LA.

23. When a brief gives you grief.

The title of this week's episode of The Brief Bros. comes from an opinion piece on WARC, the World Advertising Research Council, by a planner named Mike Teasdale, director at Left-Handed Planning in London. In it, he captures with cleverness and clarity many examples, with brilliantly coined nicknames, of poorly written and frustrating creative briefs we've all encountered in our careers. Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach talk about these examples and share anecdotes about similar experiences in their careers.
Creative Review: Barilla Pasta "Rigatoni Day." Music: Funky Town. Agency: We Are Social Italy.

22. Lance Saunders on why the briefing is as important as the brief itself.

In a special "extra" episode of The Brief Bros. with former DDB president and COO Lance Saunders (see E20 for complete first discussion), hosts Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach address the topic of The Briefing. Often overlooked or given second-class status, The Briefing deserves closer inspection and more attention. As Lance argues, it should be the most well-attended meeting in an agency or client. If it isn't, something is seriously amiss.
Creative review: Two post-Covid spots by two different brands, Extra Gum ("For When It's Time," agency: Energy BBDO UK) and Uber ("Your Uber Awaits"), agency: Mother.

21. Questions creatives should ask a brief writer about the creative brief.

Before creatives receive a briefing on a finished creative brief, they should meet with their planner/strategist/brief writer to review the document and ask a few questions. The objective is to make sure you and your brief writer are simpatico on the brief. In this week's episode, Howard Ibach suggests six questions creatives should ask the brief writer. Join him and Henry Gomez on The Brief Bros.
Creative Review: Domino's Return of the Noid. Agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

20. A conversation with Lance Saunders, COO, DDB Canada (retired)

The Brief Bros. celebrates our 20th episode! Today, we welcome former DDB Canada COO Lance Saunders. Lance's background includes strategy and leadership roles at Leo Burnett and Campbell Mithun.
Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach talk with Lance about the sorry state of training for planners and strategists in today's ad world, the role of emotion in consumer decision making, and creativity in advertising.
Creative Review: Subaru Forrester TV spot. Agency: Carmichael Lynch.