For over two decades, Tracy Lovatt has helped brands build transformative insights by challenging assumptions and embracing the chaos of tectonic cultural shifts. 

After starting her career at BBDO, where she guided brands like HBO, GE, Bank of America, Hyatt Hotels, PepsiCo and many others, Tracy eventually stepped away from advertising to start Batten & Co, where she now helps brands connect the dots between insights, operations, and the customer experience.

In this episode, Tracy talks about the power of sarcasm to disarm people and she shares her candid approach to uncovering insights that matter.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• The surprisingly different ways men and women talk about engagement rings
• The power of deprivation studies to get consumers to open up emotionally 
• What she’s learned from the Medicis when it comes to inspiration and new ideas
• The surprising impact a British accent can have in American boardrooms
• A memory she had of our first encounter (that made me blush)

Show Notes:

Below are links to books, shows, and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Books:

This is what it sounds like: What the music you love says about you (by Susan Rogers)

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (by Oliver Sachs)

Shows & Movies

I’m Still Here Trailer

The Last of the Sea Women Trailer (Apple TV)

Brands & Campaigns

GE - Ideas are Scary

Ffern (Fragrance brand)

Ground Up (Nut butter brand)

Great research isn’t just about collecting answers. It’s about knowing which questions to ask and how to observe with all your senses to get to the truth of a situation.

Bob Morais, business anthropologist, ethnographer, and lecturer at Columbia University’s Business School, knows how to read between the lines of what people say and what they actually do, and in this conversation, Bob shares his techniques for consistently finding those aha moments that can help a brand soar. 

Over the years, Bob has set up some fascinating research methodologies for a wide variety of emerging and established brands, including Sensodyne, Freshpet, WD-40, and Simply Orange, just to name a few. 

And in every case, Bob has helped those brands uncover what their customers really need, not just what they say they want.

Together, we dig into the key differences between a flat-footed finding and an actual insight, and we talk about the importance of “presentation theater.” 

Bob also shares his perspective on AI as a research assistant, and why he believes the human element in ethnography is still irreplaceable.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• Bob’s aha moment that led to a multimillion-dollar product innovation for WD-40
• An unexpected, eye-opening experience during a research project at the Plaza Hotel that helped crystallize the idea of luxury 
• The power of research techniques like laddering and guided retrospection
• How to sell ethnography projects to clients who want everything “buttoned up”
• The unexpected ways that playing lead guitar in different rock bands prepared Bob for life in strategy and research

Show Notes:

Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns & Brand Videos:

Fresh Pet: It’s not dog food. It’s food food.

WD-40 Smart Straw

In a world obsessed with big data, robust dashboards, and faster answers, what if the real insight about insights has to do with slowing down and making real connections?

That’s how Tim Wilson and Valerie Kroll approach each project, working with organizations to help them rethink their approach to data analytics and consumer insights. Over the years, their facts & feelings approach has made a huge impact on a wide variety of brands, including Yoplait, Time Warner, Adobe, P&G, Purell, Marriott, Lysol, and more. 

Instead of more data, they suggest using less data, informed by better questions and smarter conversations. And even though they have a data-driven approach, they never discount the power of observation or instinct to help uncover those aha moments.

With a unique blend of quantitative expertise and qualitative intuition, Tim and Val approach  data less like a crystal ball and more as a conversation starter. 

Because when you stop chasing “perfect data” and start looking at the bigger picture, you’ll often find fresh angles and new opportunities for growth.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• The power of doing a pre-mortem when kicking off a project 
• The surprising focus group conversation that led to a breakthrough innovation for Yoplait
• How a failed “chunky bracelet” for Lysol inspired a successful Purell product idea
• The two “magic” questions they like to ask clients to help set everyone up for success 
• The jobs they had before facts & feelings that have helped them become more detail-oriented, compassionate storytellers
  
  

Show Notes:

Below are links to books, shows, and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Books:

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke 

In Your Purse: Archaeology of the American Handbag by Kelley Styring

James by Percival Everett

P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Haldar 

Frog and Toad Storybook Favorites

Shows:

Severance Trailer

The Bear Trailer

Greg Hahn has built his career on reframing questions and seeing things just a little bit differently. 

Actually, that’s an understatement.

Before launching Mischief, Greg spent almost 20 years at some of the biggest and most celebrated agencies in the business, including Fallon and BBDO, where he led creative for brands like Timberland, Citibank, HBO, eBay, FedEx, and more. Along the way, he helped create some of the most awarded campaigns in modern advertising—work that not only racked up Cannes Lions and One Show pencils, but also embedded itself into culture in a way that made those brands unignorable.

When Greg was unexpectedly let go from BBDO New York in 2020 due to budget cuts, it didn’t take long for him to start Mischief @ No Fixed Address. In two months, he created a new shop “where people - both employees and clients - could come and do the best work of their lives, with less layers, pretense and other unnecessary complications.”

Since then, Greg and his team have helped businesses across multiple categories.

When Tinder came to Mischief hoping to shed its reputation as a hookup app, Greg and his team challenged them with a provocative reframing. When Pizza Hut wanted to appeal to job-seeking Gen Zers, Mischief turned the pizza box into a résumé delivery system. And when Goldfish crackers wanted to appeal to adults, Greg and his team landed on a simple, but effective fix.

Ask Greg a question about Capri Sun and you might end up talking about Banksy, Andy Warhol, or Duchamp. Or you might discover his passion for crime shows, data, and the interesting differences between Saxon words and Romance words.

That said, no matter where you start with Greg, you’ll always find your way back to a clear-eyed understanding of a brand’s core business problem and a clever, creative path that’s going to get you where you need to go.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• The way Mischief does briefings differently compared to other agencies
• How an OkCupid data point about voting turned into a viral campaign (and even led to a clue on the show Jeopardy!)
• The role of social listening when it comes to their creative process for Tubi and other brands
• What Greg’s job selling aluminum siding taught him about himself
• Some advice that Greg received from David Lubars during his time at BBDO

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Books

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom Perseverance and The Art of Living 

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

Show Notes:

Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Shows

Crime Scene Confidential Trailer

Brands

Liquid Death - Andy Pearson on Any Insights Yet?

Last Crumb Bakery

Books

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

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

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns:

Oreo Wonderfilled

Oreo Wonderfulled Chinese New Year Campaign

Oreogram with Lady Gaga

Oreo + Coca-Cola Besties Campaign

Papa John’s Better Get You Some

Unisom Eagles Saquon Barkley Trolls Giants Owner John Mara

Heinz: Draw Ketchup Campaign

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.

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns

German Doner Kebab

Huggies Baby Butts Song

Marquee Sports Network Just “Gets” Cubs Fans

U by Kotex Period Sex Chocolates

Phasy Chocolates & Functional Foods

Chicagwa campaign

Movies & Shows

Severance Trailer

Swiss Army Man Trailer

Face Off Trailer

Best of Ali G

Any Insights Yet: Dan Cohen at Saatchi New York (Season 1, Episode 7) 

Books

Alphabutt Baby Book

Butts on Things by Brian Cook

How do you take a challenger brand from number two and make it number one? 

And how do you do that with a relentless focus on positive behavior change?

Those are the kinds of challenges that Mark DiMassimo and Lesley Bielby love to tackle at DiGo Brands, and over the past twenty years, they have elevated  and re-energized numerous better-for-you brands, including Weight Watchers, Crunch Fitness, The Partnership to End Addiction, The Bronx Zoo, and Better Help, just to name a few.

Whether they're making award-winning ads or redesigning a brand's identity from top to bottom, their work combines the latest findings from behavioral science with a unique blend of humanity, humility, and just the right amount of absurdist humor. 

Our conversation takes some wonderfully unexpected twists and turns as we try to decipher the motivating emotions surrounding embarrassment and the importance of teamwork when it comes to new business pitches.

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Mark and Lesley include:

• Their “go-for-the-jugular” approach when it comes to customer research
• How they turned HelloFresh from a challenger brand into the undisputed category leader
• The key research findings and creative executions that allowed Better Help to connect with a wider audience 
• The insightful and entertaining ways they transformed Crunch Fitness into a national brand
• How Mark’s experience in his grandparents’ hair salon and Lesley’s experience as a hypnotherapist have shaped their approach to strategy and creativity

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns

Visit Oslo

Movies

“Easy A” Trailer

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Trailer

“The Holdovers” Trailer

Podcasts

Any Insights Yet? Episode 10: Andy Pearson at Liquid Death

What is risk?

For most people, a risky situation is one where you’re exposed to danger.

Put another way, it’s the possibility of something bad happening.

But for Andy Pearson, VP of Creative at Liquid Death, the definition of risk takes an interesting detour. For Andy, the real danger is not that something bad will happen, but that nothing will happen at all.

No reaction. No learning. No breakthroughs.

Just a boring piece of creative, dead on arrival, completely ignored.

That’s why, over the course of his career, Andy has developed a habit of pushing himself into uncomfortable situations and doing “scary stuff” so that he can explore ideas that most people won’t even consider.

But scary stuff isn’t the same as doing anything. 

There is always a Liquid Death Logic underneath every idea that helps the team connect the dots between dumb ideas and smart ideas in unexpected ways.

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Andy include:

• Andy’s favorite activations at Liquid Death and why he loves them
• One of the scariest things Andy did early on in his career before Liquid Death that has shaped his outlook on risks and creativity
• The questions Andy likes to ask in brainstorms to push ideas even further
• How Liquid Death manages controversy and consistently transforms hate into something great
• The intriguing parallels between one of Andy’s hobbies (ultramarathons) and building a brand

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns

Mike Cessario getting a fan’s face tattooed on his body

Limited edition corpse paint with e.l.f. beauty

The Yeti Casket Cooler

The “Freeze to Death” Cold Plunge Tank

Limited edition Hot Fudge Sundae flavor with Van Leewan Ice Cream

A partnership with Burton to create an unrideable snowboard called the Death Trap.

A contest where you could win a free L-39 Aero jet called The Dehydrator. 

Cards Against Humanity Saves America

Movies

The Voyage Out by Barlow Jacobs (Coming Soon)

Books

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Why should strategists do focus groups with real humans if AI-enabled synthetic focus groups can yield an equally powerful aha moment at a fraction of the cost?

That’s one of several challenging questions I explore with Ed Cotton, brand consultant and former chief strategy officer from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP).

For the past 25 years, Ed has been at the helm of strategic planning in NYC, leading strategy for a wide variety of brands, including Amazon, Apple, BMW-MINI, Chipotle, EA, LG, Nestle, Nike-Converse, Unilever, and Wal-Mart.

In today’s fast-moving marketing environments, where CMO tenures are shorter than ever, Ed sees a multitude of opportunities that AI can offer - speed, cost reduction, and more ways to connect the dots.

But at the same time, he worries that the combined pressure of smaller budgets and tighter deadlines are creating situations where strategists are afraid to get out of the office or out of their comfort zone.  

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Ed include:

• How to overcome insecurity as a junior strategist
• Why big data can sometimes be misleading and doesn’t necessarily lead to more insights
• Which categories are most toxic for focus groups and what to do if you’re doing research in one of those categories
• How one of Ed's favorite hobbies helps him see the world with fresh eyes
• A valuable life lesson that Ed learned from a creative director when he was just starting out as a strategist

Show Notes:

Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Films (and books):

Ed’s favorite recent book: The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier

Annihilation - Movie Trailer (Here's the book)

Zone of Interest - Movie Trailer (Here's the book)

Campaigns

AirBnB Original Belong Anywhere Campaign Spot

AirBnB 1/2 Billion Guest Arrival Campaign Spot

Other Miscellaneous Musings

Ed’s Substack - Provoke

Ed's Podcast - Inspiring Futures