122: A conversation with Mark Tomblin and Michelle Lee, APG Canada

Our two guests from Account Planners Group Canada are Mark Tomblin , founder of Thinking Unstuck, and Michelle Lee, principal Uncommon Sense, who hold senior leadership positions with Canada’s strategy organization. Henry Gomez and I dive deep into brief writing, brief training, and the industry’s future with Mark and Michelle.
121: A creative brief for a cosmetic surgeon

Henry Gomez knows more than most of us about the competitive world of cosmetic surgery. His dad is a practicing cosmetic surgeon, and Henry wrote a brief for him. This week, we examine Henry’s efforts so you can see again how a professional tackles the challenges of a small budget project with a big challenge.
120: A brief for Delta Airlines.

Henry and I discuss another brief written by Henry for a pitch he and his agency did not win. But the brief itself, for Delta Airlines, is instructive and we take you through it step by step. Since finding complete briefs is a challenge, this brief presents us with a wonderful opportunity to share our […]
119: Brief tips for marketers.

Henry Gomez, strategist and brief writer extraordinaire, and I talk about four mistakes marketers fall prey to when they write briefs. And we offer avenues to avoid these mistakes with better, clearer thinking. These aren’t the only roadblocks marketers face, but they are biggies. Watch and then be honest: have you ever slipped up and […]
118: Another conversation with Marc Lewis, dean of the School of Communication Arts in London

This week, Henry and I welcome back an old friend, Marc Lewis. He’s the dean of the most successful independent advertising school on the planet, SCA, the School of Communication Arts in London. It is heralded as “The World’s Most Awarded Ad School.” Marc returns to share with us news about SCA’s Creative Training and […]
117: A conversation with Jim Melzer, creative director and brief devotee

Jim Melzer comes to us this week on The Brief Bros. from Santa Fe, NM. He represents a segment of our industry we have not explored and that makes Jim a unique guest. Jim has been a copywriter and creative director at legacy shops in Minneapolis including Colle McVoy, Miller Meester, Martin Williams and Clarity […]
116: A conversation with a legend, Ernie Schenck, Part 3

Guest host Mark Jenson and I wrap up our three-part conversation with Ernie Schenck in today’s episode. Ernie shares his thoughts on AI, the origins of his newsletter, Strange Alchemy and other insights on our industry. Our thanks to Ernie for giving us and you his time, his wisdom and his devotion to a profession […]
115: A conversation with a legend: Ernie Schenck, Part 2

Guest host Mark Jenson and I continue our chat with writer, creative director and legend Ernie Schenck in Part 2. Stay tuned for Part 3 next week!
114: A conversation with a legend, Ernie Schenck, Part 1

In the first of three in-depth conversations, The Brief Bros. welcome a national treasure and a creative legend, Mr. Ernie Schenck. He has founded two ad agencies, won countless awards, and is a prolific writer and commentator for CA and lately his own newsletter on Substack, Strange Alchemy. Pinch-hitting for a traveling Henry Gomez is […]
113: Let’s dissect a creative brief for Cleveland Clinic Florida.

My partner and co-host Henry Gomez offers up a brief he wrote for the Cleveland Clinic Florida when he was a relative newbie as a strategist, and shares some of the creative it produced. This is an excellent exercise we should all do from time to time with a brief from our past. I tip […]
