The Bad Pod, An Advertising Podcast

Brendan Robertson is Chief Strategy Officer at the storied small agency M/H, historically known as Muhtayzik Hoffer. Brendan's tenacity and affinity for an authentically great insight, idea, and technological avenues for ads has taken him coast to coast, working for some of the best agencies and brands around. We talk about his advertising family, the changing landscape of advertising avenues, and his new home in LA.

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Happy New Year, we hope you've had a fantastic holiday filled with much deserved rest, good food, and even better company.
We're starting 2025 with strong with TBWA veteran-turned-indy CCO Chuck Monn.
Among many things, he takes us into the mind of an award-winning creative director who touched cultural pillars like the Olympics, Visa, and Apple. He leaves brands more memorable than he found them, and has shaped iconic work like 'Mac vs PC' and 'Shot on iPhone'.
Our top 5 moments:

"You're not making ads, you're making communication that helps you understand how an iPhone works."
"The way it started having a life of its own, and expanding to mean how people see the world through Apple products, was such a powerful reminder of the importance of platforms and brands. Building something that people can play with and make bigger."
"These people would fly out to where their billboard was... there was one woman who had never been on a plane before who flew out to be in front of her billboard in Times Square... it was a heart-warming, lovely connection between the brand and the people who make it."
"Between Chiat and MAL, I was between those two places for 25 years... after 15 years working on Apple, I just needed a break. I have two kids... I just needed for the first time to just be dad. That was really important."
"My first job in Chiat I took off for like 7 hours because I was working on a pitch at 3 in the morning and started at Chiat at 9 the next day.

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Our favorite stories:

• Mass media shaped by sight-sound imagery, inspired by watching a ton of TV and critiquing the commercials as much as watching the programming. Recalling jingles, surgery cartoons, GEICO ads...
• On trying research journalism - "something just wasn't clicking, it felt like it drained me of energy."
• Part time restaurant job and appliance & repair parts marketing... the perfect recipe for becoming the future Head of Strategy at Sid Lee? JK - it helped with learning how to relate with people. (KEY SKILL)

Big moments from doing the work:

• Originally applied to VCU for copywriting, but was identified as a strategist. Found mentorship in Earl Cox, late CSO of The Martin Agency
• On trust and taste: critical ingredients for a successful collaboration between strategy and creative. "you have to figure out the references that connect with them... but do not be the Judge Judy in the room"
• On working with younger creatives: "get them into the habit of explaining their rationale... it makes for more fruitful working relationships."
• Bringing together a high-velocity team: hiring for the right skills, but also leaving room for individuals to surpass their own expectations for themselves.
• "I like seeing people's faces" - Earl Cox was great at taking a room and working it... reading it and regurgitating it...

Career advice we'll live with:

• On imposter syndrome: "Find people who are going to be your advocates... if you have someone accomplished that thinks you can do XYZ, maybe you can!"
• Jargon Monoxide creates a fall sense of competence... folks from non-traditional marketing backgrounds have these razor-sharp minds but don't have that marketing-ese... Cardi B is a brilliant marketer but she does NOT sound like the people I'm in meetings with
• "I love a From > To" - the more honest you are with that, the more provocative... that is always a money maker... when you can capture the mood of the clients, in addition to their ambition... reshape it in a way that gets people excited to hear what you have to say.
• On setting a vision for success: "all strategy is to get people to take the time to align on where we're going"
• "An informed opinion delivered with conviction delivers hope." On helping people find their own 'lightbulb moment'.
• "Rigidity is the pitfall of strategy... overconfidence, over complication, too 'inside baseball'... those are all off-ramps."
• "If I don't understand this, there's no way the consumer will understand it."

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Kate Horvath is your luckiest day if you're looking for your next perfect career fit, whether you're an individual or an organization. Partner at Salmela Creative Recruiting, she joins us to talk about the science and sentiment behind effective recruiting. We also get a peek into her long career as an actress and theatre manager and how that role (pun intended) helped her become the career trajectory rocket scientist she is today.
Find out more about Salmela Creative Recruiting at https://www.meetsalmela.com/

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Eric L. Hu is a world traveler, a photographer, Head of Fintech Strategy at Walmart, and the new unofficial third host of The Bad Podcast. He joins us from NYC to talk advertising, capitalism, morality, cars, and compassion. Tangents include cars and what we're gonna do with our lives. Find Eric on LinkedIn or IG @ericlhu

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