The Brief Bros.

85. A conversation with Tim Brunelle, who could be a third Brief Bros.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by another great creative from the Twin Cities, Tim Brunelle. Tim is a writer, creative director, strategist, leader and a fellow advocate for creative briefs. Tim came to our attention from our friend Mark Jenson, lecturer at the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications and a past guest on The Brief Bros. Henry and I have one of those “yes, and” conversations about our first, second and third passions: the creative brief, briefing, creative, good thinking, training. We could have talked all afternoon. But we stopped at about an hour. If you love listening to three Bros. talk about briefs, you’re gonna love this episode.

84. A lively conversation with Professor Mark Ritson.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by a luminary in the field of marketing: Professor Mark Ritson. Professor Ritson has earned a well-deserved reputation for pulling no punches in his commentary on and assessment of marketers and their brand management. Henry is an alum of the two wildly popular and well-attended mini-MBA programs Professor Ritson teaches online. Professor Ritson has the distinction of being both an insightful academic (or ex-academic as he prefers it) who has real-world experience as a marketing consultant for global brands. In this episode, Professor Ritson brings his keen eye and acerbic wit to The Brief Bros. as he discusses the state of marketing training in the US, when brand purpose makes sense and when it doesn’t and the status of brands in general.

83. Reviewing a creative brief by Crispin Porter Bogusky.

This week, Henry Gomez and I try something new and different: we share with you a real creative brief by a real ad agency. So we review both the brief itself and one TV spot that came from the brief. The agency is Crispin Porter Bogusky, a powerhouse creative shop whose work for Burger King, among other brands, shook up the industry in the mid-2000s when this brief was written. The brief is for BBQ Tender Chicken Sandwich and it dates to the mid-2000s. You can read the brief and we show you the brief in the episode. This is a rare treat. The product, the brand and the brief will whet your appetite for what makes a great brief. And you’ll be ready for something to eat.

82. Another Classics Creative Review.

This week, Henry Gomez and I return to Classics Creative Review with three television spots on The Drum’s list: World’s Best Ads of All Time, based on a reader survey. We start with a spot from Thailand called “Smoking Kid” by Ogilvy for the Thai Health Promotion Board. Next up is our review of a spot for Barbie dolls called “Imagine That” created by BBDO San Francisco. Finally, a spot for John West Salmon called “Bear” by Leo Burnett. One PSA and two spots for consumer products. Classics all. Maybe you remember them, maybe you don’t. But you won’t forget them after this episode!

81. A conversation with Gary Goldsmith, Department Chair, Creative Direction, ArtCenter in Pasadena.

This week, Henry Gomez and I are joined by an industry veteran and legend, Gary Goldsmith. Today he is the Department Chair of Creative Direction for ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. But his resume includes stints as creative director at DDB and TBWA\Chiat\Day, as well as chairman and CCO of Goldsmith/Jeffrey before his shop was acquired by Lowe/Interpublic Group. Henry and I had a wonderful conversation with Gary about a topic near and dear to our hears: training for young creatives. It’s a lively and engaging chat, so don’t miss it.

80. A conversation with Charlotte Mair, founder/managing director, The Fitting Room.

Henry Gomez and I welcome Charlotte Mair, named by Ad Age as one of the Leading Women Europe 2021. She is the founder and managing director of her own cultural marketing agency, The Fitting Room. Charlotte’s story will resonate with American viewers. She started with virtually nothing in her bank account, and built a major branding and cultural marketing agency from scratch. We talked about her beginnings, how she turned expectations on their head and thrived as a minority entrepreneur. Don’t miss this conversation!

79. A conversation with Giles Edward, co-founder of Gasp!

Henry Gomez and I welcome Giles Edwards from the UK, creative director and co-founder of Gasp! (https://gasp.agency). Giles is also the host of a podcast called Call To Action. Giles interviews creative talent on his podcast, but today, he’s our guest. He discusses his beginnings, the challenges of starting his own agency, and what he’s learned from speaking with his guests. He’s fast approaching 100 episodes. And he’s a creative powerhouse in his own right. Rob Schwartz, CEO at TBWA\Chiat\Day says of him: “A wonderful overachiever.” Don’t miss this conversation!

78. Classics Creative Review.

Our ongoing series of Classics Creative Reviews continues this week with so, well, classics. Henry  and I begin our Classics review with a 1983 spot for the Yellow Pages by Abbot Mead Vicar in the UK. Next up is a Dancer Fitzgerald Sample classic for Wendy’s called Where’s the beef? Lastly, Fast Talker for FedEx, created by Mullen in Boston. Three classics reviewed by two classics for our ongoing series, Classics Creative Review.

77. Why do marketers hate marketing?

Two thought pieces caught our attention this week. The first is by John Long titled “What’s with all the advertising leaders hating on advertising?” The other is by our friend George Tannenbaum called “Ding-Dongs of Doom” on his blog. Each essay has its own argument, but Henry Gomez and I found some common points that rang home with us. John’s point about senior marketing leaders’ attitudes about their profession and George’s point about the consequences of over-specialization within the advertising profession revealed a regrettable fissure in our industry. Henry and I weigh in, and while we have different takes on the topic, we agree on the danger both John and George make clear. Not your typical Brief Bros. conversation, but worth your time.

76. One team or multiple teams—who gets briefed in?

A recent guest on TBB, Mark Jenson, lecturer at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the U of Minnesota, recommended a book called "Rethink the Business of Creativity." Henry Gomez and Howard Ibach discuss a chapter from a book about how many creative teams at an advertising agency should be briefed on a project: one or many or all the teams? The question provokes a pretty big difference of opinion between the Brief Bros. Who's right? Tune in and let us know.

75. Why do brief writers struggle writing a target audience description?

This week, Henry Gomez and I return to Creative Brief Basics, a “nuts and bolts” topic. It’s old news that never gets old: Target Audience. Some brief writers forget how to dig to understand who their communication is meant to speak to. The lazy answer sometimes is, “Well, everyone.” Everyone needs a _______. Whether it’s insurance, household staples, clothes, some brief writers fall into a trap and think they can’t get into the mind of a customer. This is laziness. I get up on my soapbox in this episode, and Henry has some sharp thoughts as well. In the end, we offer up good advice on how to avoid the default trap to write memorable, inspiring descriptions of your brief’s target. Don’t miss this one!

74. Creative Review Cannes 2022 winners.

Week Two of Cannes 2022, Henry Gomez’s continuing adventures. This week, he and I review four Cannes winners. They are: “Super Human,” Grand Prix winner, Film by 4Creative London/Somesuch London. “Detectives” for Apple, Gold Lion, Film, by O Positive LLC Santa Monica, CA. “Liquid Billboard” for Adidas, Grand Prix, Outdoor, by Havas Middle East Dubai. And “Draw Ketchup” for Kraft Heinz, Gold Lion, Print & Publishing, by Rethink Toronto. What do we think? Watch and learn. Don’t miss some compelling creative work.

73. Winning a Lion at Cannes 2022.

Today we celebrate my friend, partner and co-host of The Brief Bros., Henry Gomez, who went to Cannes this year with his colleagues from Zubi Advertising in Miami and won a Silver Lion for work the agency produced for Burger King. In this episode, Henry takes us on the wild but ultimately joy-filled ride he and his team took over many years to achieve this triumph. Join me and Henry as we share with you the inside story of what it takes to stand out at what many consider the pinnacle of advertising creativity in our industry.

72. A conversation with Mark Jenson, lecturer, Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Mark Jenson is an old friend. I’ve been making virtual guest appearances to speak to his advertising students since 2018. He teaches at the University of Minnesota. Mark was instrumental in facilitating Henry and me in our recent multi-episode project to write a creative brief on The Brief Bros for Hulu. Since Henry and I are both educators, it made sense to ask Mark to join us to talk about the state of training and education in the advertising professions at the college level. We had a wide-ranging conversation about what Mark’s students bring to his classes, their attitude toward the profession and his hopes for creatives and account management aspirants in coming years.