Episode 11

full
Published on:

22nd Feb 2024

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

Goodby Silverstein & Partners

See Margaret speak at SXSW

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:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Transcript
Brian:

Right, John.

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Welcome back.

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John: Hey, Brian, welcome back and

welcome to folks who are listening.

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, if you're new to Snap Decisions,

this is the podcast that gives you

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a behind the scenes look at some of

the big decisions that shape the way

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products and brands and personalities

present themselves to the world.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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yourself into pop culture now and

Super Bowl is that opportunity.

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It is advertising's biggest stage.

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And like I said before, everyone is

watching all at once, you know, from

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little kids to great grandparents.

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So you're, you're getting a lot of

bang for your buck, and it's a great

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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,

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Well, it was the first Super Bowl spot to

ever have two brands in one commercial.

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And we did it with

Mountain Dew and Doritos.

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Definitely, uh, definitely

a hairy experience.

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John: wait, why, why Harry?

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What happened?

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I

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, Margaret: well, originally, and If

you remember , that commercial, it

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featured, , Morgan Freeman and Peter

Dinklage, and they were having, It

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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

363

:

can't get yourself too tied to any one,

364

:

Brian: Yeah.

365

:

I mean, look

366

:

what could happen this year with,

uh, FanDuel and the Carl Weathers.

367

:

I died before the,

368

:

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.

385

:

John: Wow.

386

:

Well, great call, right?

387

:

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.

389

:

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.

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About the Podcast

Snap Decisions
Snap Decisions gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the key decisions that shape how products, brands and personalities present themselves to the world. Two savvy marketers and Monday morning quarterbacks, Brian Marks and John Young, offer their analysis of marketing and tech news and interview fascinating people who make big decisions. Learn about unique journeys and how pivotal moments drove success.

About your hosts

John Young

Profile picture for John Young
Growing up as the kid who actually enjoyed watching ads as much as classic TV reruns, it’s no surprise John Young ended up as a brand marketing executive with a passion for crafting how organizations show up in the world. He’s an entrepreneurial-minded chief marketing officer with extensive experience building stronger brands and growing businesses.

Working with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 30, he has delivered impactful marketing experiences that resonate with customers, tackled thorny communications and positioning challenges, and led large-scale change initiatives. John has driven results and executed award-winning programs for companies across various industries.

A two-time founder, John currently leads a marketing advisory firm, J-Fly Partners, where he helps growing businesses with brand positioning strategies, marketing plans, pitch decks to investors and customers, communications, product launch plans, PR, and performance media campaigns.

Brian Marks

Profile picture for Brian Marks
Brian’s spent more than 20 years building and activating digital marketing and communications strategies for diverse brands across financial services, food, education and sports. His leadership has led strategic growth and digital transformation through innovative marketing solutions. With a strong focus on strategy, planning, content creation, and customer experience, he’s delivered results that elevate brands and enhance engagement. His expertise spans several key areas: Strategy + Planning, Content + CX, Technology + Enablement, and Leadership + Mentoring.

Marketing jargon aside, he’s passionate about:

-> relentlessly finding the right solution that makes the right difference at the right time
-> saying Yes when others only say No and saying No when others only say Yes
-> bringing people together to accomplish something bigger than ourselves
-> enjoying every moment
-> Philadelphia