The Brief Bros.

166: These women routinely save the day.

No Single Individual is a unique business model. It is a company of woment strategists who work for legacy shops like Deutsch NY, FCB NY and TBWA\Chiat Day LA.
Founded by Christine Olivas in 2021, No Single Individual is an "all-freelance firm [that] provides ancillary strategy and account teams to agencies across the globe, from the industry’s biggest names to hyper-local creative shops," according to its LinkedIn profile. In other words, when agencies struggle with impossible assignments, Christine and her colleagues swoop in as last-minute heroes.
Henry Gomez and I also met Cynthia Abad-Mancheno, one of Christine's colleagues. And we had an in-depth conversation about how they started, the nature of their work, and their thoughts on strategy and the industry.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

165: Ten traits of a strategist.

My co-host Henry Gomez stays connected with other strategtists, especially on LinkedIn. He received an email recently from Mark Pollard, author of Strategy Is Your Words, and a well-known and respected strategist and strategy coach. Mark had compiled a list of the top ten traits he thought all strategists shared. My buddy Henry saw a similarity between these ten traits and some things he and I talked about on our first episode of The Brief Bros. So Henry and I thought this would be a great topic for a "Nuts 'n Bolts" episode, which we haven't featured in quite a while. We each chose two of Mark's ten traits and shared our thoughts. Tune in. You'll love this one.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

164: Elizabeth Gordon, GS&P's newest young and restless account manager.

Henry Gomez and I relish every chance we get to feature a young advertising talent who is already shaking things up. This week we continue our series of interviews with recent grads of US and UK advertising programs. Allow us to introduce you to Elizabeth Gordon. Elizabeth is a 2023 grad of the U of Minn's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications. And she came recommended to us by our friend and occasional substitute co-host, Mark Jenson, senior lecturer at Hubbard.
Elizabeth landed her gig at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in September 2023 as an account coordinator. Last month, six months on the job, she was promoted to assistant account manager. She puts the lie to those in our profession who lament the decline of our industry. And if you have any doubts, watch this episode.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.
 

163: Are you creative director material?

Most creatives aspire to become creative director one day. And most creatives believe they have the chops to lead a creative department. But making the leap from art director or copywriter into a leadership role takes more than a promotion. Our guest this week is an old friend, TJ Bennett, owner and creative director at The Pudding Factory. He's back to talk about his coaching practice to help aspiring creatives make that leap to creative directorship successfully and with confidence. Henry Gomez and I devote the entire episode to TJ's experience and philosophy. If becoming a CD is your ambition, you want to meet and talk to TJ. So don't miss this episode.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

162: Master storyteller Neal Foard, Part 2

Join Henry Gomez and me for Part 2 of our conversation with a master of the artform, Neal Foard. He tells us more about his new online, self-directed tutorials at Storyfire to help you practice and polish your own stories. So sit back, grab a bowl of popcorn and take it all in. This is good, old-fashioned entertainment.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

161: Neal Foard, master storyteller, Part 1

For 30-odd years, Neal Foard was an advertising copywriter and creative director, working on major brands like Toyota. Then he morphed into what I call the Garrisoin Keillor of the Internet. He's a storyteller extraordinare, whose mellifluous voice is part velvet fog, part maple syrup. With thousands of presentations under his belt, Neal stands in front of a black screen and shares his life experiences every week, with a single goal in mind: remind us that life is so much easier when people like you (his words, not mine).
This week Henry Gomez and I are proud to give him our platform not once, but twice, so that he can tell us about himself, his beginnings and his new project called Storyfire. I took this course and loved every second—and learned plenty. Do yourself a favor and watch this week and next and then sign up for his self-directed course.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

160: An industry training expert shares his insights.

Mark Liebert leads the Marketing Training & Development Center at the ANA. His team of dedicated professionals connect subject-matter experts with ANA members to enhance their marketing and advertising skills. Since the beginning of our podcast, Henry Gomez and I have revisited the subject of training many times. So today, we meet an experienced trainer in his own right, and also an exceptional leader with the largest client-side brand trade group on the planet. If anyone can shed light on the state of our industry's training, Mark is our man.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

159: Should a brief ask "What is the strategy"?

It seems like an obvious question: What is the strategy? But even asking it opens a can of worms. What do you mean by "strategy"? Then you can ask, why do so few briefs ask this question? This week, Henry Gomez and I tackle the conundrum of what role strategy plays in writing a creative brief and whether the question belongs on the brief.
For one-on-one, small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

158: Let's get real about AI.

Henry Gomez and I decided to take a breather and talk about AI. No panic. No exaggeration. No gloom and doom. Just the real stuff. It's here and it ain't goin' away. What's its role in advertising creative? In the creative brief? This is only the first of what we both think will be many conversations. But after insightful chats with two guests, Tim Brunelle and Sherry Horowitz, both experts in AI, we needed to take stock. Let us know what you think.
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

157: A manifesto for Avis, or is it?

What is a manifesto? Is it a creative brief? Or like a creative brief? And how does a so-called "manifesto" help us understand a brand? These are some of the questions Henry Gomez and I discuss today on The Brief Bros. We review and dissect one of seventeen brand manifestos, this one for Avis, posted on LinkedIn recently by Lonnie Elliot.
 

156: Recent grads prove young people embrace our industry.

Who says the advertising industry can't attract ambitious young talent? Not our guests this week on The Brief Bros. We welcome Anna Clayden and Hope Whitehead, art director and copywriter respectively. They teamed up while studying at London's premier School of Communication Arts. They join Henry Gomez and me to shed bright light on the rigors of SCA and where it has led them. And they share a special announcement as well—their first full-time gig at a London agency!
For small group and corporate training in writing inspiring creative briefs, contact Howard Ibach at https://creativebriefworkshops.com for availability.

155: Strategy trainer Julian Cole offers surprises on writing briefs.

Writing a great brief depends on more than great writing. Agency vet and Strategy Finishing School founder Julian Cole joins Henry Gomez and me in an insider's look at briefs. You'll learn something new after this week's episode of The Brief Bros. For example, did you know that an "artist" and a "detective" creative director respond differently to the same brief? This is only one insight Julian shares in our discussion. We only scratched the surface with Julian, whose work with agencies around the globe is in demand. And we promise to bring him back to continue our conversation.

154: An insider's look at AI.

Love it or hate it, AI is here to stay. But like all new toys, what we don't understand tends to scare us. So this week, The Brief Bros. invited Sherry Horowitz, the self-described AI Conjurer, to talk about the intricacies of creating imagery with AI using language prompts. Her deep knowledge revealed how hard it is to use AI to its fullest. And why AI is also so powerful. There is much more to learn, but Sherry shed light on possibilities. This is a conversation you cannot miss.

153: Conflict helps us overcome creative hurdles.

We welcome the creative chairman of BBDO/Singapore, Tay Guan Hin, to this week's episode of The Brief Bros. Henry Gomez and I asked Guan about his career in art and graphic design. Guan revealed a common thread among many creatives: his parents had other plans for him. But his passions led him to advertising anyway. His new book Collide: Embracing Conflict to Boost Creativity, demonstrates how thirty years in advertising gave him a unique insight on creativity. And he shows readers how to use conflict to unleash more powerful ideas for brands.