The Brief Bros.

180: A Director of Brand Experience on building a brand.

Henry Gomez and I welcome Mack Saunders, the director of brand experience for The Annex, a boutique hotel in Toronto.
Mack's background and perspective on branding came to my attention when I met him at The Annex on a recent trip to Ontario. Fans of The Brief Bros. will be intrigued by the challenges he has faced in his role. And the intrepid manner in which he overcame these challenges.
He also shared with us news about the imminent opening of their newest properety, The Annex Palm Springs.
Reminder: For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

179: A master brief writer talks briefs.

Lance Saunders, strategic consultant and adjunct professor at York University in Toronto, returns to The Brief Bros. to talk to Henry Gomez and me about the inaugural essay he contributed to my blog titled, "Beyond The Brief."
It's all in celebration of the recent addition of more than 50 briefs to the Creative Brief Archive, a repository of finished briefs available free to anyone who signs up.
The Archive now has about 80 creative briefs, written by both professional brief writers and student brief writers. It's a growing collection, and I ask you to spread the word. I'm also looking for more, more and more creative briefs to add to this collection.
I am not playing gate keeper: All briefs are welcome because all briefs can teach us something.
Reminder: For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

178: Vasanth Seshadri, a creative voice from Singapore.

Our guest this week is Vasanth Seshadri. He is the founder and creative director of The Sunnyside, a virtual ad agency in Singapore. Vasanth's story will resonate with creatives everywhere.
The route he took from newbie copywriter to the founding of his own shop covers a journey of thousands of miles and tenures with many legacy agencies. Including Wunderman, BBDO/NY, Edelman and JWT. The experiences and the advice he shares are priceless and fascinating.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

177: AI for Advertising, taught by Ross Patrick.

Say "AI" to anyone in our industry, and it will likely cause a wince, a pucker, even a laugh. And probably a few other reactions.
Say it to our guest, Ross Patrick, Creative Lead and Director of Advertising at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and you'll be in for a passionate discourse on the technology's many benefits.
That's why Henry Gomez and I wanted him on The Brief Bros. Not only have he and his students embraced the tool, they are doing fascinating and exciting things with it. Which Ross is eager to share with us today.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

176: The creativity beat with AdAge's Tim Nudd

Henry Gomez and I welcome Tim Nudd, a journalist who covers creativity for AdAge.
Tim was the host and narrator of a popular podcast called Tagline, sponsored by Muse by Clio. It was a feast of backstories and wonderful anecdotes about some of the most iconic ad campaigns produced by our industry.
Henry and I talk at length with Tim about his role at Tagline, how he got it started, and what it took to put the episodes together. Tim pulls the curtain back for us and it's a fun peek inside.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

175: Jon Steel, author of Truth, Lies & Advertising.

Jon Steel's book, Truth, Lies & Advertising is the bible for strategy, creative briefs and what makes great creative campaigns. Now in its 26th year, it remains fresh and relevant, even if the advertising referenced in it are from the 20th Century. His thinking proves that new and shiny pales against fundamentals and fundamental truths.
Henry Gomez and I are proud and delighted that Jon chose to be with us this week. We delved deep into his thinking about this book. And we asked him about his early days, first with Stanley Pollitt at BMP in London, later as the first director of planning at Goodby Silverstein in San Francisco. There he worked on iconic brands including "got milk?" Sega, Nike and others.
Jon's influence on these and other brilliant creative campaigns resonates today. In our wide-ranging conversation, Jon reflects on his early influences, the challenges of being the first account planner at Goodby, his thoughts on his book today, and more. It's a one-hour master class from a master strategist. Don't miss it.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

174: Two ad students on the rigors of London's SCA.

One of them did a trumpet solo and she doesn't play trumpet. The other did six minutes of stand-up comedy and she isn't a comedian. No, they weren't auditioning for Britain's Got Talent.
In a return to our New and Emerging Talent series, Henry Gomez and I talk to two current ad students at London's famed School of Communication Arts—the most awarded ad school in the world.
Led by our friend Marc Lewis, this fertile training ground nurtures and mentors the next gen of ad professionals. Today we introduce you to Carlota Di Liscia and Emily Bowler. They are finishing up their year-long adventure at SCA and have partned as a writer/AD team. They will share with us the trials and tribulations they've thoroughly relished.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

173: Ghost wants to make clients famous, not themselves.

In a first for Henry Gomez and me, The Brief Bros. hosts three...ghosts. You'll hear them, but you won't see them. That's because they prefer to let their creative work speak for itself on behalf of their clients. And that's their story. Which we are transparently delighted to share with you.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

172: Young ad pros get to predict Cannes winners

Henry Gomez and I bring you two young advertising talents who started The Loudest Roar last year, which they call the "Cannes Lion Fantasy League." It's an online communmity for young professionals to predict the winners at Cannes, and it's growing in popularity worldwide.
We're delighted to welcome Chirag Khushalani and Samita Balakrishnan, two strategists both of whom are from India. Chirag lives and works in Dubai, while Samita is in India. She grew up in an indigenous community, the Badagas, in southern India.
The Loudest Roar is the brainchild of Chirag. Last year, it its first outing, over 300 creatives around the globe weighed in with their predictions. He'll tell you more about that in this episode.
There's still time to make your prediction. So watch and marvel at what Chirag, Samita and others have assembled to draw more young ad professionals to perhaps the most well-known creative festival in advertising.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

171: Freelance copywriter Ashley Rutstein carved a niche on TikTok

Meet the host of Stuff About Advertising Ashley Rutstein. She's a freelance copywriter, social media verteran, and the star of her own TikTok page where she talks about, well, Stuff About Advertising. And Henry Gomez and I had a fun and enlightening conversation with her.
So many brands want to be on TikTok, but did you know the space is wide open for creatives to show off their wares and talents?
Ashley presents one of her videos and shares with us how she found her way to TikTok. Surprisingly, she a lot of freelance work comes to her from her posts on TikTok.
Are you missing an opportunity? Watch today and find out.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

170: Can AI measure the emotions advertising creative evokes? Yes, according to DAIVID.

This week Henry Gomez and I introduce you to the founder of DAIVID, Ian Forrester. Ian is the brains behind an AI tool that measures the effectiveness of ad creative by pinpointing which of 39 emotions a piece of creative evokes.
Yeah, we know—another bogus way to test creative, right? Don't be so quick to judge.
Ian demonstrates for us why this tool is different. And, intriguingly, why it can help you review and revise your brief based on its results. When creatives complain about testing that kills creative, Ian argues that his AI tool points the way at giving better direction, not solutions.
Are you ready to have your mind changed? Watch today's episode.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

169: The Howard Gossage Show with Steve Harrison and Dave Dye.

Two advertising industry giants join us today to talk about their new book, The Howard Gossage Show. Both Steve Harrison and Dave Dye have talked to us before. But today they arrive together as co-authors of a book as big as its subject matter. And a necessary teaching tool for all of us in the ad game.
Sitting in for the traveling Henry Gomez, our friend David Moore matches his enclyclopedic knowledge of the industry with Dave Dye's. And our conversation covers Howard Gossage, brand history, where we have lost our way as brand guardians, and more.
Steve and Dave are lightning rods for a topic that should not be controversial: do we still care about selling products? Don't miss this episode.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

168: Meet your new favorite intern.

You need chutzpah to land an internship in our industry. Spell it any way you like, you gotta get the decision-maker's attention. Which is why Henry Gomez and I are so delighted to introduce you to Kristina Olsen Pinjusic, a.k.a. "The Kristina," your new favorite intern. She displayed enviable intrepidity and gutsiness and used LinkedIn to announce her intentions. And it blew up her feed. Kristina is a graduate student at CCNY's Branding and Integrated Communications program, and she's here to tell you her amazing story.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

167: Meet Todd Turner, creator of laugh-out-loud creative training tool, Wash-A-Pig.

Todd Turner is a talented graphic designer who's carved out a fun niche in Out of Home. Lately, he's formed a partnership with Richard Molinaro called Up to Something in North Carolina. Todd and Richard create unforgettable OOH for brands, agencies and media companies. But it's Todd's side gig that grabbed our attention. Henry Gomez and I talked to Todd about his crazy fun and powerfully effective training tool called...Wash-a-Pig. What's a graphic designer doing concocting a cool concepting tool for copywriters?
Well, we're glad you asked. Because Todd shared his story in this week's episode. You'll hoot and spit out your milk 'cause it's a provative device to rev up your creative juices. And Todd tells us how it all got started. Don't miss this fun conversation.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.