Rob Bagot

You remember this Spider-Man drawing meme from a few years back? https://lnkd.in/gXwXApdd You know, the one that shows the level of quality you get when you give an artist 10 minutes vs. 1 minute vs. 10 seconds? I remember when it started doing the rounds, a lot of creative types used it as an example of how much worse their work is when it's rushed vs. when they get enough time to truly ideate. What's funny is, this isn't even the best depiction of that. Imagine instead if you started by giving someone 10 seconds to draw a *brand new* superhero — one that doesn't already exist. My guess is the result would go something like "Uhhhmmmmm.... I dunnnoo.... (hastily scribbles rough silhouette with a cape)". Then give them 1 min and watch more detail get added. And then 10 and watch really rich character and story elements emerge. I see this a lot in organizations that put a premium on sprints and MVPs. It's one thing to put time constraints on refinement, evolution and optimization of an idea. It's another to rush the ideation itself. That's typically not a good recipe for innovation, since (as my example illustrates) when people are rushed, they tend to regurgitate/replicate the familiar. There is something to be said for putting some time constraints on ideation as a generative exercise. And when facilitated with a focus on lateral connections sparking new combinations, there is a way to hack novelty at pace. But often the main value is in getting all the obvious ideas out of the way, and getting the gears turning in the back of brains to let time do its work of mental marination. Then the real gems that team members can't stop thinking about can be prototyped/MVP'd/etc. Have you seen rapid ideation produce novel concepts (in product, comms, org design, etc.)? Or has it tended to churn out ideas that feel like replications/regurgitations, logical/linear progressions and slight incremental improvements on what already exists? #innovation #creativity #ideation #agile #mvp #prototyping #poc

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Failure is a part of the game in advertising. Whether it stems from a partner's decisions or campaign outcomes, taking risks means sometimes falling short. I love this article's insight into how to approach and leverage failure. As a leader I have always tried to make room for failure—it's essential for our growth as creatives. #creativity #agencylife #leadership #creativedirector

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Published an in-depth breakdown of the leading #GenAI image tool strengths and weaknesses. I'll apologize in advance for Adobe Firefly 🤣 https://lnkd.in/eQR7E42H

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Hawk... you know... Should brands follow trends? As tempting it maybe on the virality of said trend... 1. Only if it fits the brand image and values. 2. Only if it is relevant and also has some value for the target audience. 3. Only if you are not following all trends all the time. 4. Only if you have some clever idea that is different from what other brands are doing in following such trend. Of course the nature of the trend is that we get on and stay as close to it without infringing copyright or open ourselves for lawsuits - but a lazy copy paste is not a good way. Put some effort, come up with a clever idea that taps into the trend. And no, for this particular trend, it's not a good fit for most of the brands. Sure some brands could - I can see a condoms (you know with extra lube), cough medicine (or dry mouth medicine if there is any) or .. I can't think of more, but I'd keep my brand away from this trend - unless we have a clever idea!!! ADWEEK attempts to answer. Check it out.

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Elon is a master at inserting himself into the conversation. With one tweet, he inserted himself into the Apple news cycle by purposefully conflating Apple’s own internally developed AI (Apple Intelligence) with that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Apple clearly stated it’s their own AI model which will be fully integrated into the iPhone operating system. Apple’s AI will run securely within your iPhone device, your information will not be sent to a server. If the AI computation needs to run on a cloud server, it will do so over a new secure connection called Apple Cloud Compute, securely running on Apple-designed servers and Apple-designed M-series silicon server chips. The OpenAI ChatGPT 4.0 announcement was above and beyond Apple’s own AI model. Think of ChatGPT 4.0 as an optional extension to the new Siri AI, similar to extensions on your web browser. You will be asked if you want to send the request to ChatGPT for additional AI processing (you will have to approve each and every time this occurs). Apple also noted that other AI models (Google Gemini, MidJourney, and likely even Musk's own AI company x.AI) will be added in the future to be used as optional extensions to Siri AI. At an enterprise level, Apple will provide controls for companies to disable the use of AI extensions on devices that access sensitive business emails, documents, and messages. Not to mention, every major tech company is integrating AI into their systems. Google Android is integrating Gemini AI, Microsoft Windows and Office is integrating Copilot / ChatGPT, etc. Musk is going to be banning a whole lot of devices if this is the line he's going to draw, but he won't, this is just a masterful PR move by Musk to remain prominent in the topic of AI. https://lnkd.in/gy58u9zu

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Moving Retail Media from Science to Art.... Here's a few musings from the latest Unfold about how we've seen the advancement of RMNs into the upper funnel resulting in the conversation shifting from a place dominated by data and ad tech in to more of a discussion on messaging and creative. Or put more simply, how Retail Media is moving from a pure performance channel to a traditional marketing vehicle. ... and as a true P&G marketeer at heart, how excited that makes me! I'll drop the link to the full episode in the comments too 😀 Let me know your thoughts!

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While we are in the middle of awards season, it’s a good time to remember that the quality of the work that gets in front of the most consumers is what matters most for the future of our industry.

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It’s no secret that we are approaching a 100% digitally delivered TV future. What does the new advertising ecosystem look like? And how are brands like Roku and SiriusXM integrating generative AI content without losing brand voice and authenticity? Join Ad Age and yours truly today in New York.

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A best practice for creating a highly effective sonic brand is to think beyond jingles. A sonic identity isn't just a catchy tune for your ads—it's an audio vocabulary that reinforces your brand promise. While it can enhance your commercials, it also helps you connect with new demographics and engage customers and fans in a meaningful and authentic way. If you’d like to hear a few more, read the article I wrote for AdWeek. #SonicBranding #MarketingStrategy #BrandIdentity #AdWeek https://lnkd.in/gzjeqsYZ

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On one of my first weeks at Xpedition I went down to LA to visit our set for our Fitbit client in the YouTube Playa Vista studios and it was impressive in size and scale to say the least. 100s of videos made in half a dozen languages in just a few weeks. What I found most impressive, though, was the vibe. Everyone was cheerful, chatty, sharing ideas, having fun, laughing often, music was going, and it felt like one big summer camp inclusive of clients, talent and the 100+ Xpedition crew. All the sets I’d been on before were serious, a top-down-direction approach. Only one person could talk to clients, only the director spoke on set. Talent were spoken at, and only a few people could share ideas. Most everyone was stiff as a board and, if I’m being honest, as a serious young professional out to prove herself I’m sure I contributed right into that tone on more than a few occasions. Imagine my surprise to see how Xpedition ran a soundstage! Vibe aside, the work was actually better. Issues were brought up, ideas came from many, clients raised ideas and concerns on the spot, the talent had a blast and their personalities shone through. The work could get done on time and on budget and people could have fun and contribute. We think all sets should be like this - for the benefit of the work and the people - so my lovely Xpedition colleagues have shared some of their tips for creating collaborative, inclusive sets. Take a read, share if you’d like, and reach out if this is the type of experience that would benefit your work.

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Here's the latest digital campaign of four :15s from Crew Marketing Partners for Earth's Own Food Company working with the talented fashion photographer, Nick Merzetti at Merzetti Studios. It's creamy, it's steamy and oh so dreamy. Fresh out of the gate and the results already look great. Amazing team effort from Naeem Walji, Brahm Finkelstein, Teresa Maria De Paz, Cameron Tomsett, Nick Merzetti, Jennifer Sidoriak, Jessica McCullough, Chelsea Prest #digitalmarketing #marketing #socialmediamarketing #socialmedia #business #seo #branding #marketingdigital #onlinemarketing #entrepreneur #instagram #advertising #contentmarketing #marketingstrategy #digitalmarketingagency #digital #marketingtips #smallbusiness #webdesign #graphicdesign #design #digitalmarketingtips #website #marketingagency #startup #motivation #success #ecommerce #bhfyp #onlinebusiness

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I got that feeling, because Im at Target, Sipping a latte, Shopping for nothing, but buying everything. Isn't this Yargets overall strategy? They want us to stroll, roam, browse, and enjoy being in their store. This ad is absolutely hilarious and brilliant. It highlights the thing about Target that we all love and evokes emotion. While watching this commercial I saw myself in a few of these characters (cough, cough, the latte drinker, and plant enthusiast). 🎵 Perfect song choice. When it feels like a no-brainer that this ad worked.... that means its a real gem and a marketing win. Watch the Ad 👉 https://lnkd.in/gSQ2e9nY #Target #TargetStores #targetCommercial #FunnyCommercial #Marketing #MarketingWin #MarketingSuccess #MarketingInsights

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HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ROKU FOR MARKETING? With so many option it can be confusing about what is the best strategy. I can help you. If you would like to expand your brand while reaching your target audience, you need to advertise on Roku. Let’s talk. #marketing #ROKU #advertising #consultant

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I've always wanted to hear more from Eric Seufert on creative, specifically. Eric has written a few brilliant pieces on the subject over the past few years (including The inflationary impact of AI-generated ad creative,) but I've never found a Q+A that dives into how he'd approach ideation, testing, learning and scaling in this new era. So we're having a chat. Eric is next week's Screenshare Session and it's a can't miss. We'll be joined by one of our top strategists, Aly Freeman who will help dig into the grittier parts of the latest testing strategies, et al. that she knows a lot more about than I do. We’ll unpack: → Trends and challenges affecting performance markers → Why creative is still the ultimate growth lever → Creative production and optimization frameworks geared to boost ROAS Lots of screen sharing and real talk as always. It’s happening on Wednesday, July 17 @ 10am PT Space is limited https://lnkd.in/g9yDWxQb

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Fourthmeal... the meal between dinner and breakfast. It's been almost 20 years since we introduced this crazy idea that didn't just elevate the business, but truly became part of the cultural lexicon. The team at FCB Irvine and Taco Bell realized that 'spice up the night' had done great things for the business, but wanted to provoke the fast food industry as only TB could. Strategically, we leaned into the fact that the food did more than just fill you up, but late at night it was more about 'feeding your carnivorous side' (aka the main idea from the brief). Since then, seeing how the business has continued to evolve, creative that pushed deeper into the role Fourthmeal can play in people's nights, and as the CBO said at the time... "TB is really just late night food we eat during the day". Remembering our crew that created this iconic idea... Chris D'Amico, Michelle Purcell, Teddy Brown, Sean Hardwick, Richard Pinnella, Cooper Olson... they've all gone onto great things, but this is one that I always go back to. #Fourthmeal #iconic #brands #creativeideas #business #latenight #FCB #advertising #campaigns #makingithappen #TBT #throwbackthursday #socal #creative #marketing #provoke #strategy #brandstrategy #creativestrategy #fastfood #qsrmarketing #qsr https://lnkd.in/e2xZZf3t

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This takes our social practice effectiveness to a whole different level where we can be precise in our insights and truly understanding audiences behaviors and propensity towards a behavior. #digitas #swat

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Someone said that I was on a quest to be on every cap table in the industry. It is true that I have found my way on to a few but have never had any that have exited. Not super focused on it; It is a bad way to live. In the past, I have worried a lot about when this or that company was going to exit. But I now try really hard to be all "one-day-at-a-time" and "accept the things you cannot change" about the various equity pieces. I have a lot of sleepless nights, and it is a regret of mine. At one point, I gave myself a panic attack and had to consciously shift my thinking. Cautionary tale. Moving on. When starting companies, I have been part of teams where we wanted to build something that we thought clients would very much want, was hard to replicate by large companies in the space and required extreme domain expertise. Neither of the tech companies that I helped found were "built-to-sell" as their primary focus. They are technology/product companies where there are real assets that would be hard for someone to duplicate. However, I have observed that if your company survives in AdTech, you have a strong technology, and you are not too big (a very experienced founder told me sub-300MM in valuation), you likely get bought; otherwise, you have to take the leap and go public. I think this dynamic is part of Aperiam's success. They have a higher probability of exits, but at more modest valuations. I think this is a very smart model. Not zero to one, but zero to .6., but they have had some power law type exits. Let's see if anyone from there corrects me. I can think of a few cases where companies have not sold or gone public, and the founders are operating solid companies. And that is why you don't build to sell. You could be operating the company for a while and you don't want to get burned out and angry that you are stuck with something that is worth a lot but can't exit. Regardless, I would be up for an M&A surge.

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Mission: B-Roll Capture session. After a full day of direct to camera content capture - we have a large list of B-Roll that will help us finish the perfect edits for our clients. (B-roll is a term used to describe secondary footage, often used as cutaway footage, to provide context and visual interest to help tell your story. The term derives from the early days of Hollywood when they used to shoot on film.) . What would you do with an inventory of pro level B-Roll videos? Would that help you brand your business or stay consistent on social media? One hour of POWER UP B-Roll Filming could result in months and months of content to work with!

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