The Brief Bros.

99. What to think about before you write a brief.

What should newbie and veteran brief writers alike consider before they put fingers to keyboard or pen to paper? I put this question to Henry and he gave us some valuable thought-starters. A creative brief is a thinking document, not a mindless form to fill out. Join us on this episode of The Brief Bros. as we offer brief writers sound advice on what to think about before you start writing your next brief.

98. Final Creative Review for 2022.

Henry and I review two new spots for our final Creative Review of 2022. The first spot is for the latest Covid booster by Pfizer Biontech by Fierce Pharma Marketing. Spot number two is by Luck Generals, whose work we’ve reviewed before. This one is a new Christmas spot for Amazon. We like one more than the other. Watch this episode to find out which one wins our approval. Maybe you agree. Maybe you don’t. See you again in 2023!

97. A conversation with Matt Ryan, senior strategist at Popcorn.

Matt Ryan’s official title is Sr. Director of Communication Plans, which is a fancy way of describing his role as the top strategist for Universal Resort Orlando’s in-house ad agency, Popcorn. Henry and I had a chance to talk in depth with Matt about the laudable process Popcorn developed to foster a collaborative environment to write creative briefs. It’s a system worth copying because it works so well. Join us today as Matt tells about what Popcorn does to support great brief writing.

96. Another conversation with Cameron Day, author of Spittin’ Chiclets.

He’s back! Our friend Cameron Day, author of The Advertising Survival Guide—Stage One: Launch and Ascent: Chew With Your Mind Open, and our guest about 10 months ago, returns for another wide-ranging and fun conversation. This time, Henry Gomez and I welcome Cam back to talk about his new book, The Advertising Survival Guide—Stage Two: Managing the Messy Middle Years: Spittin’ Chiclets. Cam weighs in on briefs, writing taglines, why brands matter and don’t, and other juicy topics creatives love to talk about. And we just tickled the surface of Cam’s essential book for advertising creatives. It’s advice we all wish we had when we were starting. So read his books and join us in our conversation.

95. A conversation with Leticia Rita, co-founder of HolaBrief.com.

Henry Gomez and I welcome Leticia Rita, co-founder of an online creative brief platform called HolaBrief.com. Her site offers free customizable briefing templates designed for freelancers, small to medium-sized agencies, design firms and start-ups. Leticia, a former creative, comes to us from Spain. She felt a similar pang of frustration as I did before I wrote my book, during a creative briefing that prompted her to start HolaBrief with a colleague. Today, her team is ten strong. She tells us about HolaBrief, how she got it off the ground and why it’s so important to the creative process. Leticia brings an infectious passion to her work. Don’t miss this episode.

94. Creative Review: Northern Tool Equipment

Henry Gomezhttp://henrylouisgomez.com and I bring you another Creative Review this week. As we try to do with these Reviews, we focus on real products. Northern Tool + Equipment fits the bill perfectly. NT+E is one of the nation’s leading retailers of high-quality tools and equipment for professionals and DIYers. Today we discuss and dissect three spots: one :30 and two :15s. Agency of Record: Colle McVoy, Minneapolis.

93. A conversation with Paul MacFarlane.

Henry Gomez and I welcome one of our more devoted viewers and fans, Paul MacFarlane. He’s also a fellow traveler committed to writing and advocating for great creative briefs. His work as a creative director and brand strategist for his own company, The 1101 Experiment, demonstrates how he puts walks the walk. Paul came to our attention months ago when he started liking and commenting on our LinkedIn posts and the episodes of The Brief Bros. he most enjoyed. You’ll love today’s conversation because Paul brings a unique passion to briefs and briefing we don’t see too often. He’s one of us, ladies and gentleman. God bless him!

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.