202: The Perils Of Agency Search The Brief Bros. podcast

13:44

Creative work presented to the client gets killed with alarming frequency. The average number of rounds today is...five...before the client signs off. Scary, yes. But today Henry Gomez and I talk about the immediate problem: how to recover, regroup and come back with your best thinking. The task requires leadership from both the brief writer/stragetist and the creative director. Howard and Henry break down the challenge from both perspectives.…

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217: When you must rebrief 22:43

8 days ago22:43

22:43

In another "Nuts 'n bolts" discussion, Henry Gomez and I talk about the rare but not unusual occasion when your client says, "Start over." This is different from those presentations when the client rejects the work, but not the brief. Something more serious happens and you're instructed to begin again. Henry and I will tackle the former challenge in an upcoming episode. Today we dissect the process brief writers sometimes face when the brief may need adjusting. And then the creative team needs to be read in a second time. How should strategists handle this scenario? Henry offers a few valuable guideposts.…

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216: Evaluating ideas is hard 13:47

15 days ago13:47

13:47

Our friends at BetterBriefs , Pieter-Paul von Weiler and Matt Davies have delivered more scathing survey results. This time on the subject of evaluating creative ideas presented by agencies to clients. Why are ideas so difficult to judge? Why have rounds of creative presentation grown from an average of three to five before clients sign off? Henry Gomez and I share one juicy survey result from the lot and break it down for you. it's a sad situation, and it's both not surprising and shocking. We discuss.…

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215: SXSW teaching star 55:02

22 days ago55:02

55:02

Kit Altin is chief strategy officer at The Gate London . And she made a splash last year at Austin's SXSW with queues round the block waiting for her workshop. She was so popular, she was invited back last month. And she's now a fixture at the annual festival that celebrates tech, film and music. Kit joins Henry Gomez and me to talk about her journey from journalist to copywriter to strategist and renowned creative educator.…

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214: Eight hours to write a brief? 31:29

29 days ago31:29

31:29

You're given only eight hours to write a creative brief. What now? According to our guest, Dan Carlton , it's not a common event, but it's not rare either. Dan is the CEO and founding partner of The Paragraph Project , a company that develops "human-centered strategies" for marketers and agencies alike. And he's created an online training for strategists in a pinch for a quick-turn brief. It's an hour-by-hour structured training to move from blank page to a finished brief. He's even offering Brief Bros. viewers a 50% coupon to try his "8 Hour Creative Brief." Use this link and the code BRIEFBROS: planneru.gumroad.com/l/eighthourcreativebrief…

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213: Inside look at podcasting 54:38

5 weeks ago54:38

54:38

Meet Kevin Le , content creator and podcast producer. A chance encounter on a business flight led to a three-hour non-stop conversation. And in invitation to join me on The Brief Bros . Kevin's enthusiasm for podcasting is infectious. And his deep experience opened my eyes. And since so many of Henry Gomez 's and my colleagues are dabbling in podcasting, this was an ideal time to delve into the topic. As you'll discover, Kevin will open your eyes too. Which online tools work best for podcasters? How do you record, edit, and reformat your podcasts? Kevin answers these questions and offers so much more.…

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212: Creative-Strategist tension 21:21

6 weeks ago21:21

21:21

Henry Gomez and I return to discuss an important "nuts 'n bolts" topic: why is there tension between strategtists and creatives? Alex Morris joined us a few months ago to share results from his own informal survey on this topic. But Henry and I decided it merited further exploration. When the relationship works, the results are magic. When it doesn't, the work suffers. Henry and I share our thoughts on how to foster this important partnership. Creatives and strategists, pull up a chair.…

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211: Can AI help clients write better briefs for their agencies? 55:25

7 weeks ago55:25

55:25

Henry Gomez and I welcome Fab Nolan and Adam Green from 99Ravens.ai this week. 99Ravens is a new company in Toronto. And it makes a big promise: to improve the quality of client briefs to their ad agency clients. How? By using its AI-trained tool. Fab and Adam explain how it works and why they deliver on their promise. And they provided us with a demonstration video . It's a fascinating and provocative topic certain to generate discussion. And today, we get it started.…

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210: Emerging Talent Series continued 35:10

8 weeks ago35:10

35:10

Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communications student Alex Chrislu joins us today. She graduates in May and as you'll soon discover, she explodes with enthusiasm and confidence. And it's not hard to picture her in a senior leadership role in a short time. Henry Gomez and I revel in meeting young talent like Alex. For all the oldsters we talk to who lament our industry's future, the Alex Chrislus of the world inspire us and give us hope. So sit back and watch as this young woman draws a clear picture of her own future. And, we hope, for the ad business as well.…

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209: Why do agencies rewrite the brief? 22:19

9 weeks ago22:19

22:19

Henry Gomez and I return with a Nuts 'n Bolts episode. Today we share with you a paper written in 2010. It's authored by Merry Baskin, a member of the World Advertising Research Center (WARC). And she writes on writing the agency brief. As Henry points out, this is the topic that triggered a debate between the two of us. The debate that motivated us to launch The Brief Bros. Baskin's paper may be 15 years old, but the topic is as relevant today as ever.…

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208: Whither "Get, to, by"? 39:22

10 weeks ago39:22

39:22

Uri Baruchin joins Henry Gomez and me for the final segment of our conversation about frameworks. And today we tackle a brief construct designed to simplify and clarify. Yet too often practitioners flub it. Why? Uri tells us. But he's just getting warmed up. What is the biggest cost of AI? You've heard many pundits pontificate. But Uri's answer may surprise you. All this and more.…

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207: Why brand frameworks fail 41:28

11 weeks ago41:28

41:28

Our friend Uri Baruchin returns for a two-part conversation. When he joined Henry Gomez and me three weeks ago , we simply ran out of time. It happens. Today, we asked him to expand on a thought: why have brand platforms failed us? It's a master class in strategy. Part 2 is next week.

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206: Reid Holmes on Appreciated Branding 1:04:33

12 weeks ago1:04:33

1:04:33

Henry Gome z and I welcome back our friend Reid Holmes . And together, we celebrate the publication of his book Appreciated Branding . It's an enlightening and provocative examination of how to make mature brands, in Reid's words, "irreplaceable." His prescriptions for brands, according to reviewers, are timely and humane. We begin our chat with a little time travel. We revisit Reid's days leading the creative department at the now-defunct Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis. That's where I met and went to work for Reid. And he shares with us the thinking behind the award-winning campaign for H&R Block, "I got people." Join us as we explore Reid's invaluable lessons for brands.…

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205: Adeola Mosanya, Creatives Accountant 18:41

13 weeks ago18:41

18:41

We work hard as creatives, strategists and brand advocates. So when it comes to organizing our finances and paying taxes, how many of us are as buttoned-up with the numbers as we are with ideas? This week, we thought we'd pause for a moment and talk dollars and sense. And introduce you to a numbers person who knows creatives, Adeola Mosanya, Founder and CEO of Creatives Accoun t. She is a creative herself, but also dedicates her professional life to helping other creatives with tax prep. And since tax time is closer than you think, The Brief Bros. is happy to welcome Adeola, who is also my accountant. I chose her precisely because she knows and works with other creatives like me. In advertising as well as other creative professions. She's located in Houston, but works with clients all across the US. Pay attention. You might learn something. And a special offer: a free online class for anyone thinking about starting their own business.…

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204: Uri Baruchin, strategy philosopher 50:24

14 weeks ago50:24