ANY INSIGHTS YET?
THE PODCAST

SEASON 2

Episode 1
Going Cowboy and Being Bluntly Honest With Gordy Sang & Brian Siedband at Quality Meats Creative

Episode Description:
The best work in advertising doesn’t just stand out—it challenges the status quo. 

And that’s exactly what Gordy Sang and Brian Siedband do with every client and every campaign at Quality Meats. Whether they’re working on a GoDaddy spot for the Big Game or a provocative box of chocolates for U by Kotex, Gordy and Brian (and their distributed team of strategists and creatives) always bring an unexpected twist to their creations, sparking conversations, and getting people to say, “I can’t believe they did that!”

Their “going cowboy” approach is one of the many reasons they’ve been racking up awards, including Adweek’s 2024 Small Agency of the Year award and A-List Standout and AdAge’s Small Agency of the Year, and in this conversation, you get a peek inside their process. 

While they’re both quick to say they don’t have a ton of business acumen, they’re clearly doing something right, because a lot of businesses are lining up to do business with them, including Regal Cinemas, Doordash, Saxx Underwear, and Cava, just to name a few.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

  • Their approach to breaking rules and telling stories with a twist.

  • How being bluntly honest with German Doner Kebab led to a different campaign approach in the US.

  • The Huggies diaper innovation that led to a simple, yet catchy song (and several innovative campaign extensions).

  • Their attention-getting Valentine’s work for U by Kotex to help normalize periods

  • Why they believe the big idea isn’t dead.

Episode 2
Fighting Invisibility & Finding Emotional Truths with John Gibson, Head of Strategy at The Martin Agency

Episode Description:
Despite the billions of dollars spent on advertising every year, most ads go completely unnoticed. In fact, 85% of them don’t even hit the minimum threshold for attention. So how do you make it into the 15% that actually break through?

John Gibson, Head of Strategy at The Martin Agency, has spent his career answering that question, helping brands fight invisibility by uncovering complex emotional truths.

For Papa John’s, that meant moving beyond “better ingredients” to tap into something far more powerful—people’s deep, almost cult-like devotion to pizza. For OREO, it meant elevating a product ritual in something more emotive and universal. And for Mountain Dew? It meant going deep into the world of sleep to see if creativity could be sparked in the subconscious mind.

Throughout our conversation, John shares stories about the strategic decisions that led to these aha moments, and how The Martin Agency’s culture of curiosity consistently fuels big ideas. 

 Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

  • The unexpected pizza rituals that inspired a fresh approach for Papa John’s

  • The story behind OREO Grams and the Lady Gaga partnership

  • How the challenger brand Unisom was able to “punch above their weight” in a crowded, competitive market 

  • One of John’s favorite words and how it influences his approach to building great work

  • The advice John received early on in his career about creative briefs

Episode 3
Connecting the Dots Between Marketing and Murder with Alina Burroughs, Forensic Expert from Crime Scene Confidential

Episode Description:
What do forensic science and marketing have in common? More than you might think. 

Both require an ability to analyze evidence, challenge assumptions, and uncover hidden truths that are often hiding in plain sight.

Alina Burroughs, a forensic expert and star of the hit show Crime Scene Confidential, has spent years piecing together clues to solve cases, and as it turns out, many of those same techniques can also be applied to marketing. 

In this episode, Alina reveals how marketers and CSIs are both after the same thing - understanding motivations and finding the right guy (or gal). She also points out how forensic tools like “presumptive tests” can be used to help marketers make smarter decisions before going all in on an idea.

Throughout our conversation, Alina shares real-world crime scene stories that demonstrate the power of looking beyond the obvious and why it’s critical to challenge our own beliefs if we want to get to those breakthrough moments.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

  • How crime scene investigators fight cognitive bias and why marketers should do the same

  • The surprising role that gut instinct plays in forensic work and brand strategy

  • What a “skin glove” is (warning: it’s both fascinating and unsettling)

  • The importance of marketing from the outside in instead of inside out

  • Why saying the “stupid” thing out loud can sometimes lead to the smartest insights