She's Got Game: GS&P's Margaret Johnson
Fresh off her agency’s four Super Bowl commercials, Goodby Silverstein & Partners Chief Creative Officer Margaret Johnson joins the show and discusses the craziness of putting together a Big Game ad and her experience building creative for the biggest audiences. She also talks about integrating digital at a leading agency and provides her perspective on the impact of AI on her work. Also, John gives his snap decision on whether there’s a backlash against technology. Brian takes a swing at another Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.
Key topics & chapter markers
(00:37) - SNAP DECISION: Waymo car fire a sign of tech backlash?
(04:52) - Welcome, Margaret!
(23:26) - Navigating an ad agency through digital transformation
(32:23) - Daughters of the Evolution
(44:25) - Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest
Background content
How Waymo became a symbol of everything people hate about AI - Fast Company
Tesla worker killed in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ fatality - Washington Post
Most liked Super Bowl ads 2024 - Ad Age
USA Today Ad Meter - USA Today
Lessons in Herstory - Daughters of the Evolution
Fire & Ice Super Bowl ad (2018) - moviemaniacsDE/YouTube
Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:
Transcript
Right, John.
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:Welcome back.
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:John: Hey, Brian, welcome back and
welcome to folks who are listening.
4
:, if you're new to Snap Decisions,
this is the podcast that gives you
5
:a behind the scenes look at some of
the big decisions that shape the way
6
:products and brands and personalities
present themselves to the world.
7
:And today we've got a real expert at that.
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:And following up our last episode,
which is all about the Super Bowl.
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:We've got someone who knows a little
something about creating Super
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:Bowl ads, good Super Bowl ads.
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:Before that, what do
you got for me, Brian?
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:Brian: You know, I was reading the news
the last couple of days and saw a really
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:interesting story that I wanted to get
your reaction to, so, uh, in San Francisco
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:during the celebration of the lunar new
year, recently, a Waymo car, which is the
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:driverless Google car, was set ablaze.
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:A bunch of partiers set the car on fire
in San Francisco, in Chinatown, as they
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:were celebrating the Lunar New Year.
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:And, the car was attacked driving
through the neighborhood with, a partier
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:throwing a firework into the empty car,
causing the car to go up in flames.
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:thankfully no one was in the car
and no one else was apparently
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:injured, which is great.
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:But.
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:I brought up questions on my end here.
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:Number one, are we seeing a
growing, backlash against technology?
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:I think things are popping
up all over our lives.
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:Specifically in the, uh,
self-driving category.
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:A recent Washington Post analysis
found at least 40 serious or fatal
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:accidents among the 900 reported
from Tesla in the last few years.
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:Investment in that category is decreasing.
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:With that, as well as all the things
happening with AI and how it may replace
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:jobs and how these things are just
becoming disruptive forces in our society.
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:People walking around with the Apple
Vision Pro in the middle of a Uh, so,
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:John, should we expect more of this
type of backlash against technology?
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:You know, I don't know that
we can specifically say that
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:the way mo explosion was a
backlash against technology.
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:But as tech advances, will we see, human
backlash to the advancement of technology?
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:John: Hmm.
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:I'm a little torn.
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:first you said a few things in there about
the situation, celebration, partiers.
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:New Year's, fireworks, I don't know,
it sounds to me like not too dissimilar
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:from certain, I don't know, celebratory
crowds post football game, you know,
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:there for celebration, ends up in
mayhem, , I think that's more likely
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:the case than a backlash against the
technology, however, I do know People
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:have a real visceral reaction to
this driverless car thing, right?
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:Brian: Yeah, I mean, I don't
think it would have happened if
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:someone was actually in the car.
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:John: Yeah, no, you're right.
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:I probably, you don't hear a
whole lot about people throwing
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:fireworks into Ubers, right?
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:Thankfully.
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:My kids don't get any ideas.
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:yeah, no, I, I feel like, uh, it is.
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:The autonomous self driving car
thing is a little bit of a lightning
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:rod topic for people for reasons
I don't entirely understand.
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:I think there's just that visceral
visceral reaction in terms of a
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:larger backlash against technology.
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:I don't know.
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:I'm not sure I'm seeing it.
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:I'm seeing a lot of hand wringing
about AI and people getting on their
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:high horses with opinions, but I don't,
has anyone really taken big action?
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:Is anyone writing letters to congressmen
in mass yet about, slowing down AI or any
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:of the other digital advances we've seen?
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:People complain about social media
platforms , using consumers as the product
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:and people don't stop using it though.
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:It just keeps going.
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:Brian: It just keeps going.
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:there is some backlash against things
like, um, self checkouts and a lot
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:of brands are concerned about, theft.
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:in fact, Target has recently, um,
made some changes to the, the hours
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:with which self checkout will, uh,
be available in some of their stores.
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:Because they're afraid even though
it creates a better environment and
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:people like it there are some other
customers who have never really grown
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:towards that technology, but , I
don't know that there's a lot of facts
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:against the backlash yet either But
it'll be interesting to watch The
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:driverless segment is interesting.
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:, I think Yes, it's it's fascinating because
the percentage of which there'll be car
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:accidents through a driverless car will
probably be much less than a human,
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:John: Much less.
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:Brian: but.
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:The instances where there will be
accidents could be in instances
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:where a human might easily.
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:Not get an accident, so look,
it's, it's still in its infancy,
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:but, um, it'd be interesting to
see kind of where that goes and how
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:people, become comfortable with that.
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:So,
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:John: Yeah, I think there's a big
difference between backlash and just,
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:you know, complaining about stuff.
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:But I don't know that anyone really
does anything or really stops using
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:these tools that, generally make
their lives a little more convenient.
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:Brian: yeah, yeah, good point.
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:John: Alright, well, with that, should
we, , dive into talking to our guest?
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:Our esteemed guest.
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:All right, Brian, as you know,
I am beyond excited to introduce
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:one of the most influential people
working in advertising today.
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:Margaret Johnson is the first
ever Chief Creative Officer of one
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:of the world's best ad agencies,
could be Silverstein and Partners.
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:The agency is known for iconic
ad campaigns like Got Milk?
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:and The Budweiser Lizards,
representing clients including Nike,
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:HP, BMW, eBay, Doritos, Comcast,
the NBA, and a whole lot more.
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:And under Margaret's creative
leadership, the agency has been
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:recognized with pretty much every
advertising award known to humankind.
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:It was also named the most
innovative advertising agency
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:by Fast Company in 2021.
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:Margaret herself was named executive
of the year in:
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:and cited as the ad industry's top
chief creative officer by Forbes.
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:Business Insider and Adweek.
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:Name an advertising award, she's won it.
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:She's also a tireless advocate for
underrepresented professionals in
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:advertising and is a founding member of
the 3 percent conference, which we'll
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:touch on in a little bit with her.
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:This year she and her team had
four ads in the Super Bowl,
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:more than any other agency.
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:With two of them excelling
in national consumer polls.
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:Talking like Walken for BMW,
and Dina and Mita for Doritos.
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:I could go on and on and on, but that
would cut into our time with her.
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:Please welcome Margaret Johnson.
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:Yeah!
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:All right, an advertising
legend in our presence.
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:Margaret: Thanks so much for
asking me to be on the podcast.
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:John: All right, Margaret, to get started,
just can you orient our guests and tell
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:us a little more about your role at
could be Silverstein and Partners, and
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:and maybe fill us in on what exactly
does a Chief Creative Officer do?
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:Margaret: So I am Chief Creative Officer
here at Goodby Silverstein and Partners.
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:And I basically, oversee all the
creative work that leaves the building.
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:John: So let's get into the fact that
you did just produce all those Super
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:Bowl ads, uh, more than any other agency.
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:What kind of effort goes into that?
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:Can you tell us a little bit about, you
know, the steps that are involved in
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:creating a national ad, um, and whether
it's really a whole lot different
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:to do one for such a big event?
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:Margaret: I think it's really different
than any other, you know, brief
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:that, that comes through because
there's so much more pressure on it.
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:There's so much, you know, money and
celebrity involved that, uh, you have a
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:lot more eyes, um, on the creative work.
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:You have a lot more clients that are, you
know, a part of the process and onset.
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:So, yeah, it's, there's a lot
more pressure there for sure.
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:John: And what are the steps?
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:Like, how does it, how
does a bill become a law?
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:How do you, how do you get from kind
of that, that brief you mentioned to a
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:finished ad that runs in the Super Bowl?
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:Margaret: It's funny.
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:It varies from client to client.
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:We've been doing Super Bowl
spots for, you know, Frito Lay
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:and PepsiCo for a long time.
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:So that process starts.
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:a lot earlier.
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:Those clients are, really savvy and
they want to be a part of the process.
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:And they're, uh, incredibly organized when
it comes to producing this kind of stuff.
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:For Frito Lay, we started in the
summer, so months and months and months.
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:ahead of time.
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:Um, then on the opposite end of
the spectrum, you have a client
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:like Kawasaki, who had never been
in the Super Bowl before, and we
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:only started, a few months in.
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:So, it, it kind of depends on
how seasoned the client is,
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:uh, in the Super Bowl arena,
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:Brian: can you talk a little bit
about, , organizing all those different
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:types of people and, and pieces of it
between, , you know, the brand and the
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:celebrities, all the crews you're working
with, your creative teams, , all these
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:influencing factors that go into the ad?
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:Like, how do you guys kind of
keep it all running together?
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:Margaret: You know, it kind
of just, you do it bit by bit.
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:I mean, on the celebrity front.
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:You know, initially you'll
pitch an idea to the client.
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:They'll like that idea.
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:You'll have a few, celebrities in mind.
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:You approach the first one.
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:And, uh, honestly the name of the game
is flexibility because if you don't get
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:that one celebrity, you don't want your
idea to, to die because that one person.
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:Doesn't want to, uh, do the app.
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:So, , then you move on to the next one.
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:So it just kind of like
unfolds in that way.
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:You just do it bit by bit.
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:John: Were there any ads this year that
had a big unexpected twist or where that
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:flexibility had to really come into play?
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:Margaret: Um, yeah, for sure.
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:I mean, our BMW spot's a great example.
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:We pitched the idea, the client loved it.
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:We got, usher on board and the
whole thing at the time really
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:hinged on, you know, his hit song.
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:Yeah.
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:And as we got into the negotiations,
with the NFL and got into the specifics
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:around the ad, the NFL said, you
can't use that song because usher's
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:going to be doing the halftime show.
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:So you can't use that song.
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:Um, so then we had to go back
and rethink the whole ending.
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:So that's a great example of like
flexibility is kind of the name of
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:the game when it comes to Super Bowl.
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:John: Well, it worked because
that, that kind of subtle little
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:yeah at the end actually, I think
kind of had a little more impact.
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:Margaret: well, it also worked
really well with our position in
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:the lineup because the spot ran
just before the halftime show.
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:So it kind of teed that up nicely
when you cut to him singing it.
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:Brian: Can you talk about, your
different teams internally?
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:Like, is there a lot of, a little bit
of like fun competition between your
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:teams to come up with the best spot or
how do you guys kind of work together
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:Margaret: there's definitely, um, a
healthy competition around here for, you
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:know, you know, who it's, it's a jump
ball usually, so you have a lot of teams
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:initially throwing in ideas and, not
every team though is, is, is up for it.
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:I will say that I think we've been
doing it long enough that people around
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:the creative department know that
it's you're in for the long haul when
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:you sign up for Super Bowl, because.
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:So much goes, into testing
and things that are just
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:completely out of your control.
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:So you kind of need to go
in eyes wide open, knowing
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:that . It's not gonna be easy.
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:Brian: How are the senior
executives involved like yourself?
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:, are you, you try to give people space
to be able to do it or do you have
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:to be more involved just because
it's such a, such a larger magnitude?
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:How do you get involved?
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:Margaret: Yeah, I mean, on Super Bowl,
very involved because, you're dealing
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:with the most senior clients for, each
brand and like I said before, there's
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:just so much money at stake and celebrity
and there's just, , a lot on the line.
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:So, in the case of Super Bowl, I'm, I'm
really involved in that whole process.
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:I always go to those shoots.
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:John: So, Margaret, I've Always wondered,
, when you look at the day after analysis
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:of, you know, what Super Bowl spots people
like, um, you know, there's so many that
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:are super funny, super memorable, really
dramatic in the moment, but a lot of
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:them, you go two days down the road and
people have no idea which brand did what.
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:Uh, or it didn't change their
opinions or purchase behavior.
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:When you're building ads for such an
entertainment focused showcase, like
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:the Superbowl, how do you focus your
teams on creating something that you
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:think will actually move the needle?
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:It will actually work for the client.
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:Margaret: I think the key there is,
and we talk about this a lot, um, at
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:the agency is to make sure you're, you
know, making stuff people care about.
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:That's the only way that your idea is
going to break through and that people
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:are going to remember the brand, right?
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:They're going to, you want them to,
to watch it and think to themselves,
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:that brand, they really get me.
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:I want to, I want to
interact with that brand.
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:I'm going to buy their stuff.
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:John: So as a consumer yourself, when
you're watching, are there times when you
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:watch something and you just go, Oh my
gosh, I can't believe they spent all that
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:money and no one's going to know what that
was for or what I'm supposed to think.
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:Margaret: Yes.
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:What a waste of money.
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:Well, you know, and then, you know, in a
lot of cases, they're just promoting the
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:category when they don't break through
and do something that's memorable.
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:Um, they're doing their,
their own brand of disservice.
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:John: prepared to name any names?
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:Margaret: No,
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:John: Come
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:Margaret: not my first rodeo.
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:John: under a bus.
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:I'm kidding.
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:Of course not.
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:Those same clients are probably going,
maybe we should call Goodby Silverstein
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:to Barton or Sedora next year, cause
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:Margaret: I hope so.
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:John: we just wasted a lot of money.
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:Brian: you know, with that obsession
of the cost of the Super Bowl ad, you
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:know, everybody talks about it and
everybody kind of follows how much
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:more and more it costs each year.
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:How do you manage that with brands and,
um, you know, especially the ones that
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:are on the fence and whether it fits or,
or people that you maybe say this may not
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:be for you, even if you have the money,
are you dealing with things like that?
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:Margaret: Yeah, I mean, it's
an interesting question.
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:There's so many platforms now that it's
really hard to, reach all the audiences
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:that you're, trying to reach out to.
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:And the Super Bowl is advertising's,
you know, biggest stage and, you know,
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:It's the the one day a year where
you can reach everyone all at once.
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:Everyone's watching everyone
from, you know, tiny little
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:kids to great grandparents.
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:Um, so it, it is a valuable
bang for your buck,
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:John: Any ads in this year's
game, Margaret, that you
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:wish that you had worked on,
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:Margaret: You know, I really liked
the, um, the Paramount Plus ad.
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:I
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:didn't,
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:John: it, so did Brian.
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:Margaret: Oh, yeah.
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:Well, I feel like I didn't get the.
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:The, the attention it deserved, but
there were so many other, studios
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:that were just, pushing their
sizzle reels and using, their
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:properties in a pretty generic way.
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:And I just thought they did a really
nice job of taking those properties and,
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:creating something that was conceptual
and, and really, really interesting.
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:And they still had all the things,
um, that work on Super Bowl.
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:You know, they had celebrity,
you know, Drew Barrymore.
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:Uh, they had like great music with Creed.
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:They had even animated characters.
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:Like they had like all the ingredients.
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:They actually did something that
was memorable and conceptual.
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:And I thought they did a nice job.
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:Brian: You know, we had a, um, day after
quick rundown of the commercial podcast.
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:And they released that so early
that I wonder if it kind of ran out
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:of steam by the time the game came
around, because a lot of people had
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:seen it before the game started.
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:What are your thoughts on the pre release?
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:I like watching it in the moment.
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:Now I know that spending a lot of
money, you might be in a room with
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:a crowd of people and not be able
to, you know, hear the commercials.
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:So like, it helps the brands to
release them earlier, but what
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:are your, what are your thoughts
about when to release a commercial?
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:Margaret: I mean, as a pure creative
person, I'm with you a hundred percent.
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:I like being surprised and
seeing everything fresh.
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:And for the first time during the game.
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:But if I'm a client and an investment
strategy, I think there's a lot to say
299
:for releasing it early and making sure
that, you know, the celebrities or
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:influencers that you have involved are
helping you push out that content ahead
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:of time so that you're getting, as many
eyeballs on, on the creative as possible.
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:It's going to be the most
effective in that way.
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:, John: and I guess some of the thinking
there on the pre release too is it
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:lets you have a little more runway
on whatever digital experiences,
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:you know, companion pieces you're
making to go along with the ad,
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:Margaret: that's exactly right.
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:John: how big a challenge is that for you?
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:It's not just that you
can do an ad and move on.
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:You've gotta create a whole
experience around the advertising.
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:How is that a stressor for the agency
and, and how do you approach that?
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:Margaret: stressor, but it's
definitely a part of the process.
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:You know, you want the ripple effect.
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:You want to have, the excitement pregame.
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:So people have something, that
they're looking forward to.
315
:You want to have the spot itself.
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:And then after, the game, you want the,
the idea and experience to, to live on.
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:, for Kawasaki this year, we did a promotion
or a partnership with Great Clips.
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:And so we gave away.
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:15, 000 free mullets after the
game and, you know, that just
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:kept the conversation going.
321
:I
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:don't want to talk
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:John: Yeah.
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:Do we, do we thank you or curse
you for having 15,000 more mullets
325
:in the country walking around
that that's, that's a tough call.
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:Margaret: think you'd look
good with a mullet, John.
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:John: I was, I was approaching
mullet hood, last fall.
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:Brian: there's been a lot of conversation
in the last several months on, you
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:know, brands making big investments
in advertising and marketing and
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:maybe not seeing immediate results.
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:, the one that really comes to mind is
the conversation around solo stove who
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:had the black Friday, um, advertising
with Snoop Dogg I think immediate
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:sales are a fair question, but it's
really not the opportunity that, that
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:these types of opportunities present.
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:I mean, like, what are your, what are your
thoughts on managing clients expectations
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:of what they're actually getting
out of, uh, an ad on a large scale?
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:Margaret: I think you have
one big opportunity to insert
338
:yourself into pop culture now and
Super Bowl is that opportunity.
339
:It is advertising's biggest stage.
340
:And like I said before, everyone is
watching all at once, you know, from
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:little kids to great grandparents.
342
:So you're, you're getting a lot of
bang for your buck, and it's a great
343
:opportunity to get lots of different
kinds of people and lots of different
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:audiences talking about your brand.
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:Brian: What was the, uh, what was the
first Superbowl ad you ever worked on?
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:Margaret: I think the first one that
I ever did, was Fire and Ice for, um,
347
:Well, it was the first Super Bowl spot to
ever have two brands in one commercial.
348
:And we did it with
Mountain Dew and Doritos.
349
:Definitely, uh, definitely
a hairy experience.
350
:John: wait, why, why Harry?
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:What happened?
352
:I
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:, Margaret: well, originally, and If
you remember , that commercial, it
354
:featured, , Morgan Freeman and Peter
Dinklage, and they were having, It
355
:was kind of a, a dueling banjo, kind
of, they were rapping against each
356
:other, and a rap off, and a rap battle.
357
:And, uh, we had originally cast,
uh, Kevin Spacey to play both roles.
358
:So he was going to be, , in
this rap battle with himself,
359
:representing , each brand.
360
:And then the night before he was to sign
the contract, he had his me too moment.
361
:And, uh, we had to quickly switch, like
I said before, the name of the game
362
:is flexibility when you're working on,
on super bowl and not, you know, you
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:can't get yourself too tied to any one,
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:Brian: Yeah.
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:I mean, look
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:what could happen this year with,
uh, FanDuel and the Carl Weathers.
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:I died before the,
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:John: Yeah, that could have been,
that could have been terrible, but
369
:they actually were able to salvage
something decent out of that.
370
:I mean, not the ad, but the
reference to Carl Weathers.
371
:Margaret: Well, the interesting thing
that happened on this one was that, part
372
:of , the fun of that ad is seeing someone
super unexpected, you know, rapping and,
373
:When we found out that, you know, Kevin
wasn't going to work out, obviously, the
374
:easiest thing for us to do or for the
client to do was to, to switch gears.
375
:They already had a relationship, um,
with, uh, Kevin Hart and they were like,
376
:well, we'll just use Kevin Hart instead.
377
:And I remember I was sitting in my car,
it was the night before Thanksgiving
378
:and I, I thought I was going to have
a conversation about this whole thing
379
:with, one client and it ended up being
15 clients and me on the phone and I had
380
:to make a case for why it would be more
interesting to hear Morgan Freeman rap.
381
:Missy Elliott than to see
Kevin Hart rap Missy Elliott.
382
:And my whole thing was that, you know,
everyone expects Kevin to do something
383
:funny, but you don't expect Morgan
Freeman to do something that, unexpected.
384
:So anyway, it was a whole conversation
and a long one, but it worked out.
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:John: Wow.
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:Well, great call, right?
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:Really great call that you were
able to advocate in kind of a high
388
:pressure situation for something
that turned out to be a real winner.
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:Um, you answered my question about any,
you know, really big pivotal moments
390
:that we had to make a snap decision
because that's what this podcast is
391
:all about, but you just answered that.
392
:That sounds like a pretty in real time
decision to go somewhere different.
393
:Margaret: Yeah, I think that
one is, uh, burned in memory.
394
:It has been one of the most, uh,
stressful, and, you know, the first
395
:situation like that I've been in,
so it's, a good learning experience.
396
:John: trial by fire and dice.
397
:Margaret: Yeah, exactly, exactly.
398
:John: I know you can't name favorites, but
is there a Super Bowl ad campaign you've
399
:worked on that really just stands apart?
400
:is just so memorable for you,
like really high impact for you
401
:Margaret: know, I, I, I really, you
know, you love all your children.
402
:John: Exactly.
403
:Margaret: But I did love the,
the cool ranch spot that we did.
404
:Was, a dance off between,
Sam Elliott and Lil Nas X.
405
:And that one just had, it was a fun one
to shoot, but it also had, um, a great,
406
:we were, you know, talking before about.
407
:Um, extensions of what you're doing
after the game, and it had an awesome
408
:extension, a Sway app that we produced
that, you know, let the consumer dance
409
:like Lil Nas and, um, put tons of,
really fun content out into the world.
410
:So that one stands out.
411
:It was a really simple idea.
412
:Loosely based on the good,
the bad and the ugly.
413
:Uh, but the, the fight was over
a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.
414
:And it was just, it was just a fun one,
415
:John: Yeah, that's a winner.
416
:And one that, you know, just with
all that passage of time, I do
417
:remember being for Cool Ranch
Doritos without you having to say it.
418
:So, and you teed up, I think, a
really interesting transition.
419
:Goodby Silverstein Partners used to
be known kind of as a TV first agency,
420
:or maybe that was your competitors
who are putting that out there.
421
:I don't know.
422
:But, um, yeah, probably.
423
:But you, you really navigated that
shift from traditional media like
424
:TV into digital media, the digital
media landscape incredibly well.
425
:How did you in the agency
make that transition?
426
:Margaret: You know, for me personally,
I've always been really interested
427
:in the tech side of things.
428
:I'm married to a former tech journalist.
429
:So, um, like it or not, I've
kind of been on this journey.
430
:Since, you know, since like 99
so, I just am genuinely curious.
431
:And interested in technology.
432
:We have an in house innovation
lab here at the agency.
433
:It's called GSP labs, , where it's
filled with lots of, , people who
434
:like to tinker and make prototypes
and help us educate the agency about
435
:the latest tech that, is coming.
436
:We're lucky because we kind of get
that first wave of tech just because
437
:of our proximity to Silicon Valley.
438
:So it's just a part of who we are
these days , and very much a part of,
439
:um, how the work gets made, you know,
creatives will sit in, we have these
440
:tech talks where they, you know, they're
kind of like, Education, you know,
441
:workshops and a creative might hear
about a piece of technology and not
442
:immediately think that it's applicable
to something that they're working on.
443
:And then, a brief comes across their
desk and they're like, Oh yeah, you
444
:know, they filed it away and they pull,
pull it back out of the drawer and
445
:they're like, okay, this is my chance
to, to do something really innovative
446
:for the brand that I'm working on.
447
:And lots of ideas are born that way.
448
:Brian: That's cool.
449
:, I'm sure the labs playing around
with some, augmented reality or
450
:apple vision pro stuff right now.
451
:Margaret: Yeah, we're doing a lot
of experimenting with that stuff.
452
:I mean, that kind of experimentation's
been going on forever.
453
:I think 2016 was when we
did our first VR experience.
454
:And that was for, the Dali Museum.
455
:It was called, Dreams of Dali.
456
:But it was kind of our, dipping our
toe into, to VR way back in:
457
:So we've been doing it for a long time.
458
:John: So being ahead of the curve
like that and having those in house
459
:resources like The labs probably
helps attract a more digitally savvy,
460
:digitally attuned creative director
and writer and art director, right?
461
:Margaret: Yeah, and it helps attract.
462
:Super innovative talent, and it also
really helps, as a strong assist to
463
:those , who aren't as tech savvy,
they have, a whole team of people
464
:that they can, can lean on to that.
465
:John: I've noticed over the past year
or so, you've been a little bit out
466
:front, uh, in terms of the advertising
community, in terms of talking about
467
:navigating the, collision, of generative
AI technology with human creativity.
468
:So, can you talk a little bit about
how Your organization, how could be
469
:Silverstein and Partners, which is
totally powered by human creativity.
470
:How do you handle the speed at which the
machines seem to be, uh, getting really
471
:good at generating creative content?
472
:Margaret: It's funny, I did a whole
conversation about this with Brad
473
:Lightcap, who is the COO of OpenAI, and we
did this at Cannes last year, and it was.
474
:standing room only.
475
:Like you have, you
476
:know, you know, audience of creatives
asking, asking the same thing and
477
:you have to embrace it and just run
straight towards the fire, is my advice.
478
:You know, we, we work really hard to keep
the agency Super educated on this front.
479
:We have an ongoing relationship
with, um, hugging face, uh, and
480
:they are, one of the lead lead tech
companies on the on the circuit.
481
:And, uh, they come in regularly
and do workshops with the agency
482
:to make sure that we're, up
to speed on the latest tech.
483
:As MidJourney and Dali have really
caught on, especially in the world of
484
:art direction, we've just made sure that
every art director in the building is
485
:proficient in, MidJourney and Dali,
just to make sure that, our comps are
486
:super tight and we can do things You
know, a lot faster and we can just move
487
:at the speed of technology and culture.
488
:Brian: That's a.
489
:I don't want to say it's scary because
it's so exciting, but you don't know
490
:what you don't know, so where do you
draw the lines and how do you let
491
:people play and still not make mistakes
that could be, really impactful.
492
:Margaret: Yeah, it's,
it's all, it's all true.
493
:I mean, you have to approach
it with a conscience.
494
:Right?
495
:Brian: Way to put it.
496
:Yeah.
497
:John: Well, I'm comforted too by , your
point that you're urging your creative
498
:directors to embrace it and kind of
run, run to the fire, like you said.
499
:Because I think a natural reaction
would be to kind of like, Oh,
500
:no, let's, let's push away.
501
:Let's say that's not a good thing.
502
:We shouldn't go down that path.
503
:Let's do what we've always done.
504
:Margaret: You can see those creatives who
aren't embracing it getting left behind.
505
:you really do have to just reframe
your perspective and approach
506
:everything with a beginner's mind.
507
:And just know that, you know, on
the tech front, things are, they're
508
:changing and they're changing fast.
509
:And if you're not embracing, then
you're going to be left behind.
510
:Brian: What other exciting things do you
see out there about how brands can reach
511
:and interact with, with consumers today.
512
:Yeah.
513
:Margaret: The, the most interesting
thing to me is that there is a lot less.
514
:of that one way conversation,
like the fire hose effect, and
515
:it's a lot more interactive.
516
:So the brand, you know, throws
the ball and then the consumer
517
:is throwing the ball back.
518
:It's, it's fun.
519
:It's a lot more, playful and interactive
and that's what you want, right?
520
:You want people to love your
brand and want to be a part of it.
521
:That's what's going to make them.
522
:Talk about it and want
to buy your products.
523
:So again, like a good guide is
just make sure you're making
524
:stuff people care about.
525
:So then they'll throw the ball back.
526
:John: Margaret, I've heard, Rich
Silverstein say that clients
527
:get the work they deserve.
528
:And I've heard him say,
yeah, as someone who.
529
:You know, personally, I've always
been kind of turned off by seeing
530
:clients who treat their marketing
partners poorly or like a commodity.
531
:Um, I've always really liked that
sentiment, and I was wondering if
532
:you could talk a little bit about
what makes a great client partner.
533
:You've talked about the Super Bowl
ads and how early you start and
534
:how you've been very able to kind
of navigate, uh, tough creative
535
:decisions in the moment with them.
536
:But what, on their side, what are the
characteristics of a good client partner?
537
:Margaret: Transparency
is a big part of it.
538
:Like being really clear with your agency.
539
:On what's the objective?
540
:Is it to sit in the middle of culture?
541
:Is it to drive sales?
542
:And if so, what's that mark?
543
:What goal are we trying to achieve?
544
:Because without that information,
you know, creative is just
545
:that it's just creative.
546
:So you kind of need to have that goal in
mind when you're from the very beginning,
547
:when you're even thinking of of the ideas.
548
:And I think just being, really
honest even when it's hard.
549
:So, you know, I think a lot of times
clients will, when in a situation, where
550
:they're giving feedback, they aren't maybe
as brutally honest as, as they should be.
551
:It ends up being a disservice if you
sugarcoat things especially in the
552
:case of something like Super Bowl,
times of the essence and you're
553
:moving quickly and there's a lot of
mistake and you want to make sure
554
:that everyone is, on the same page.
555
:That's how you're going to be successful.
556
:Brian: Um, what are some of the ways that
kind of a support model has changed in,
557
:in terms of like your creative resources,
that you put in place to support a
558
:brand, you know, is the makeup of those.
559
:That staff, has it changed or
do you need different types
560
:of resources to support them
561
:Margaret: well.
562
:For us, our innovation labs a
big part of every brief now.
563
:So it used to be that, the strategy
department would present, the
564
:creatives with a brief and that's
the way it would all begin.
565
:But now we bring in our innovation
lab from the very beginning because
566
:we want tech to be a part of every
idea that we put out into the world.
567
:John: I gather from everything you've been
saying about technology and, traditional
568
:creative skill sets, there are probably
some really rewarding campaigns recently
569
:that have combined those things, anything
recently that stands out in terms of
570
:being super rewarding because it does
bridge, the human creative components
571
:and the emotional touch along with a
real strong interactive component.
572
:Margaret: Yeah, well, for me personally,
I, and this, we kind of came up with
573
:this idea in the agency, but I have
a nonprofit with my daughter called
574
:Daughters of the Evolution, and,
um, it all kind of started with.
575
:Us doing a panel at Cannes about
they had asked me to do a panel
576
:about being a woman in advertising.
577
:And at the time, my daughter was 9 and
said, that sounds like a really boring
578
:John: Thanks for the
vote of confidence, honey
579
:Margaret: And I was like, you know what?
580
:And she's like, you've already
done that talk a million times.
581
:And I was like, okay, you're right.
582
:, well, maybe they'd rather , listen
to, to what you have to say.
583
:And so we ended up inviting, five CCOs
and their daughters, all different ages.
584
:Up on stage, it can to hear
their perspective on that thing.
585
:We came out of that.
586
:My daughter and I were
like, you know what?
587
:We're going to make
daughters of the evolution.
588
:We're going to turn that into a nonprofit.
589
:And so we did that.
590
:And the first.
591
:Thing that we put out into the world was,
an AR app and, , it was kind of born out
592
:of my daughter who, came home one day and
was like, why is it that there are no?
593
:Women in this history
book that I'm studying.
594
:And so I went to the innovation
lab and I was like, this, this has
595
:to be like easy for us to solve.
596
:We're never going to change
the actual textbook, right?
597
:But if we could create
just like a simple AR app.
598
:So if you hovered over the picture of.
599
:Abraham Lincoln, or George Washington, or
all the faces that you're used to seeing
600
:in these history books, and you were,
um, served up an image and a story of a
601
:woman that you probably never heard of,
but did something equally cool around
602
:that same time, that has to be possible.
603
:And they were like, that's 100 percent
possible because, there weren't that
604
:many photographs taken back then, so.
605
:We can create an app that will
register all those photos.
606
:We'll just feed those photos into
the app and every book has the
607
:same photos because there just
weren't that many being taken and,
608
:John: cool idea.
609
:Margaret: but that's how we came up
with Lessons in Her Story and, you know,
610
:we launched it at South by Southwest.
611
:Uh, and immediately, like, Davos picked
it up, and it kind of spread like
612
:wildfire, the Smithsonian was interested,
and, that one is, for me, personally,
613
:one that, that I'm really proud of.
614
:Brian: That's incredible.
615
:John: It really is.
616
:That's a fantastic
617
:Margaret: All right, that was kind
of a long story, a long answer.
618
:John: it's a great story, and I
love that it originated with an
619
:observation from your daughter.
620
:That's really neat.
621
:Margaret: Yeah.
622
:John: so, speaking of that, can we
talk about the 3 percent Movement?
623
:I know that that's an initiative that
is committed to addressing the fact that
624
:women and people of color are incredibly
underrepresented in senior creative roles.
625
:Can you talk about some of the progress
that movement's made, and how close it's
626
:getting to what remains a tremendous gap?
627
:Margaret: Well, it's amazing to me
that like 80 percent of all, purchase
628
:decisions are made by, by women.
629
:and there are so few women that are
at the top, , on the creative side.
630
:And that's, we have made progress.
631
:When I got involved in 3%, that's,
that's actually what that stat.
632
:Represented when there were only 3
percent of the creative directors in
633
:the industry were women at the time.
634
:And I think we're up to
12 percent or something.
635
:So we are, we are making progress,
but we're still still work to be done.
636
:But I admire Kat Gordon.
637
:She is the 1 who really spearheaded
that whole effort in the beginning
638
:and invited me to be a part of it.
639
:At the very, very beginning, I was a
part of the, , very 1st conference and,
640
:she's just made a tremendous
impact on the industry.
641
:John: That's cool.
642
:Yeah, I saw on the website that, is
there something like only like four
643
:categories where men are actually the
primary decision maker, but everything
644
:else it's, it's, you know, it's equal
or majority female decided, right?
645
:Margaret: Yep.
646
:Yeah,
647
:John: So, contrast that with still
how far away it is from 50 50 split
648
:in terms of chief creative officers.
649
:It's amazing.
650
:Margaret: I'm really proud of, you
know, at our agency, when I became a
651
:partner, I was one, the only woman, but
one of, I think it was six at the time.
652
:And, um, now we're 50 50.
653
:So I'm proud of that.
654
:Brian: Can you tell us a little bit about
, your own career journey trajectory,
655
:um, at Goodby and, you know, how you've
moved along the way and, some of the
656
:important people that have kind of
helped you get to where you are today.
657
:Margaret: Yeah, I mean,
I started at the bottom.
658
:Uh, well, actually, this is
kind of an interesting story.
659
:When I was at the portfolio center,
I went to an ad school after
660
:I got out of UNC Chapel Hill.
661
:And, um, I used to
follow this art director.
662
:His name was, uh, Jeremy Foster.
663
:And I always loved his work because
it didn't feel like advertising.
664
:It felt very editorial and artistic.
665
:And.
666
:I was, I just always
wanted to, to do that.
667
:I wanted to make my stuff look like that.
668
:And, um, so let's say I loosely patterned
my portfolio after his and guess what?
669
:I sent him my portfolio and he liked
it and he hired me for my first job.
670
:Uh, he worked at Litter Bonnie Handley,
Barton Kelly and Providence Rhode Island.
671
:And, he had grown up at Goodby
Silverstein and Partners and He was now
672
:working at this little shop that was
run by David Lubar's in Providence, and
673
:pretty much as soon as I got there, he
moved back to San Francisco and took his
674
:old job back at, uh, Goodby Silverstein.
675
:And, uh, so I ended up leaving Providence.
676
:I went to Dallas.
677
:I worked for a guy named Grant Richards,
who then, like, almost as soon as I
678
:got there, left and came to, To GSP and
then these two guys brought me here.
679
:So that's how I actually landed at GSP.
680
:And then, like I said, I just kind
of worked my way up from the bottom.
681
:I started out as a junior art
director and then just over
682
:time kind of worked my way up.
683
:John: So that's a pretty rare
situation where you've got someone
684
:who's a chief creative officer
whose tenure is not exclusively
685
:but largely at the same agency.
686
:I know agency folks tend to hop
around a lot, um, so I think that
687
:must be a testament to kind of the
relationships you've built there.
688
:Margaret: Well, I had great,
I had two great teachers.
689
:John: yeah, so that was, that was the
other part of the, Brian's question and
690
:the one I'm curious about too is like, you
know, who, who's kind of lifted you up?
691
:I know you like to lift
others while you're rising.
692
:Who's lifted you up?
693
:Margaret: You know, Rich and Jeff
are incredible teachers, mentors.
694
:They've just always been,
they advocate for great ideas.
695
:They, aren't too hands on,
but help you when you need it.
696
:And I don't know, I'm just really
fortunate that I had both of them kind
697
:of watching after me along the way.
698
:. Brian: What advice do you have for
young creatives kind of getting into the
699
:business and into the industry overall?
700
:Margaret: Stay hungry.
701
:I was telling the story, to a group
of, we have a school here called the
702
:Academy, an in house advertising school.
703
:And I was telling the incoming
class that they were like, well,
704
:what do you mean stay hungry?
705
:And I was like, okay, here's an
example when I was at UNC Chapel Hill.
706
:I was in the advertising sequence, but
the program was really geared towards
707
:newspaper writing and I took a class
at Parsons School Design in New York
708
:during summer school and then realized
that, okay, I'm supposed to be on.
709
:The other side, not the writing side,
but I want to be on the art side and
710
:I need to put a portfolio together and
they just didn't offer that at Carolina.
711
:And so the day I was leaving New
York, and this will date me, but I
712
:like tore out the yellow pages out
of a phone book that was on out on
713
:the street in front of my apartment.
714
:And I took it back with me to Chapel Hill.
715
:And I was like, okay, I have to figure
out how to put this portfolio together.
716
:I'm just going to call all
these agencies and ask someone.
717
:And so I started cold calling all
these advertising agencies in New York.
718
:Now, I mean, if you think about
it, like J Walter Thompson and BBDO
719
:New York at the time were giant.
720
:giant agencies.
721
:And here I am in my dorm
room in Chapel Hill calling.
722
:I'm like, Hey, may I speak to
someone in the creative department?
723
:And they're like, anyone?
724
:I'm like, yeah, anyone.
725
:They're like, okay.
726
:Put me through.
727
:Some poor soul answers the phone.
728
:And I'm like, Hey, I'm a student at
the University of North Carolina.
729
:And I'm just curious, like, where do you
put those portfolios together that people
730
:have that want to get into advertising?
731
:And And 9 out of 10 creatives said
there's a school in Atlanta that
732
:helps people put portfolios together.
733
:It's called the Portfolio Center.
734
:So, then I had my answer.
735
:But that, I probably called 40 agencies.
736
:Brian: God,
737
:Margaret: The kind of like hunger
that I like to see and people, you
738
:know, when I'm interviewing them,
cause I know those people really
739
:care and they really want it.
740
:John: Does anyone still do that?
741
:Do you, have you ever
gotten a call like that?
742
:Or is it all just LinkedIn and
743
:Margaret: No, I think I'm the only
crazy one crazy enough to do that.
744
:Brian: You know, you definitely had
to work a lot harder back then in
745
:terms of, finding people, you know,
picking up the phone and having to
746
:call people and, , much less back
then having to print and mail all your
747
:resumes around to spend your portfolio.
748
:Yeah,
749
:John: but, but, but you could stand
out with a phone call a little bit
750
:easier than you probably can today
with a LinkedIn connection request,
751
:maybe.
752
:All
753
:Margaret: Yeah, it's true.
754
:John: right, so let's bring back
yellow pages, phone booths, and hunger.
755
:I think that's what we've learned today.
756
:Margaret: Stay hungry.
757
:That's right.
758
:John: Margaret, we had a lot of questions
we wanted to ask you, and I think we
759
:covered almost all of them, and you've
been so good at answering them, and
760
:just interesting stories and fantastic
perspectives, so thank you so much.
761
:It's been great.
762
:Margaret: Thanks so much for
asking me to be on the podcast.
763
:John: Beyond thrilled to have you.
764
:And I feel like maybe with your,
uh, celebrity connections, maybe
765
:you could help us with one of our
hopelessly unattainable guests.
766
:We end each episode with a open
letter to a hopelessly unattainable
767
:guest, and we are 0 for 10 so far,
and we'll, we'll send you the list,
768
:Margaret: Okay, great.
769
:Send it over.
770
:I'll do what I can.
771
:John: open some doors for us.
772
:Brian: All right, thank you very much.
773
:Margaret: Thanks, you guys.
774
:That was fun.
775
:John: Thanks, Margaret.
776
:Brian: All right.
777
:That was fantastic.
778
:John.
779
:That was
780
:John: She's great.
781
:Brian: Yeah.
782
:Yeah.
783
:She's wonderful.
784
:Great perspective.
785
:Um, Really awesome to talk to somebody
who's, in that seat and, making real
786
:decisions that we see every day.
787
:John: Yeah.
788
:Talk about making decisions
at the top of an industry.
789
:Brian: Yeah.
790
:Yeah.
791
:It's awesome.
792
:John: All right.
793
:Speaking top of, uh, industries.
794
:You got any, uh, top talent
you're trying to bring in to,
795
:to be a guest in the future?
796
:Brian: Yeah.
797
:Yeah.
798
:Yeah.
799
:I think I got a good target for us.
800
:You know, uh, it might be, it
might be a tough catch, but,
801
:let's see what we can do.
802
:I am targeting, uh, Mr.
803
:Tiger Woods.
804
:John: Ooh!
805
:Good.
806
:Brian: So, uh, let me read my plea here.
807
:,
John: Please do, because so far they've been real effective.
808
:Brian: yes.
809
:John: Alright, this is the one that gets,
this is the one that lands the big fish.
810
:Go ahead.
811
:Come on.
812
:Brian: All right.
813
:Dear tiger woods.
814
:I can't believe I'm writing
you to join my podcast.
815
:It's a dream come true.
816
:Back in the day of the kid graduating
from college, as you were beginning
817
:to demolish the PGA tour, I attempted
to sell a humor piece, speaking
818
:to other golfers to conspire, to
take you down a lot, Julius Caesar.
819
:You were too good for the game.
820
:No one else could get any attention.
821
:It was all tiger all the time.
822
:Everyone else was irrelevant.
823
:No one ever published my
article for good reason.
824
:Your existence in golf brought all
players and the game to a level.
825
:I had never seen more money, more
sponsors, more TV, larger events.
826
:Everyone benefited in your
excellence before you.
827
:It was nice to be , competitive
most weeks on tour with you.
828
:You expected to win every single time.
829
:You're a super legend that we
definitely won't see again.
830
:We're both at inflection
points in our lives, Tiger.
831
:You're less than two years away from
the senior circuit, the champions tour.
832
:How crazy is that?
833
:I know I hate talking about age too.
834
:You recently parted ways with Nike
after an incredible 27 year run and
835
:just launched a questionable new brand
with Taylor made called Sunday red.
836
:Featuring a weird looking tiger
print animal, but good for you.
837
:We all need to take risks.
838
:Let's talk about it together on
this podcast, Snap Decisions.
839
:This time you won't have to
look for any knives in the back.
840
:Sincerely, Brian and John.
841
:John: There's a lot going on there.
842
:I'm not sure about my name on that one.
843
:Wait, was it positive?
844
:Brian: Yeah,
845
:John: I heard you make
fun of his new brand.
846
:Uh, I heard that you wrote a humor
piece trying to take him down.
847
:Brian: I did.
848
:John: okay.
849
:Um, okay.
850
:Yeah.
851
:I, how could he say no?
852
:Yep.
853
:Print it.
854
:Ship it.
855
:Why don't you put your return
address on that one, would you?
856
:Brian: All right.
857
:We'll let you know how that makes it out.
858
:John: Yeah, yeah, well, yeah, our
audience will know when they see,
859
:, future podcasts featuring Tiger Woods.
860
:Brian: All right.
861
:Until next time.
862
:John: Have a good day!
863
:Brian: See you later.
864
:Let's shut it down.