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This week’s Millennial Master is Brad Mac, co-founder of Unreasonable.

Most brands are burning cash on lazy ads and chasing the wrong metrics. Bradley McDonald (aka Brad Mac) thinks it’s time to do the opposite: cut the noise, go deep on what actually moves people, and treat creativity as a profit centre, not a gamble.

He’s scaled Unreasonable into the marketing agency everyone’s watching, proving you can build a brand that lasts and still win on performance.

🔗 Find Brad on LinkedIn

Takeaways from Brad’s episode

1️⃣ Stop wasting your ad budget

Most brands throw 80% of their spend at branded search. Brad calls it a tax for being average. Put your money where it actually grows the business, not where you’re just protecting your logo.

2️⃣ One killer campaign beats a thousand forgettable ones

Forget running endless ads. Brad’s strategy? Run a single, creative-led campaign that earns attention and compounds results over time.

3️⃣ Chase goosebumps, not algorithms

Great content gets remembered and shared. If your ads aren’t sparking a real reaction, you’re just adding to the noise.

4️⃣ Hiring is everything

Brad only brings in “killers”, people who add value from day one. No long interview chains, just proof you can deliver.

5️⃣ Brand is still king

Performance tactics will only get you so far. The brands that last are the ones that stand for something and back it up with bold creative.

📚 Brad’s book recommendations

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy — Brad’s go-to classic for anyone serious about brand and creative. He keeps coming back to Ogilvy’s principles on copywriting, positioning, and making ads that actually sell.

Alchemy by Rory Sutherland — This one’s Brad’s cheat code for creative thinking. He loves how Sutherland breaks the rules and shows why the best marketing ideas never come from pure logic.

Deep Work by Cal Newport — Brad rates this as essential reading for founders and creatives. He credits Deep Work with helping him carve out real focus time, even when agency life gets chaotic.

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport — A new favourite, Brad’s been testing out Newport’s approach to getting more done by slowing down, working deeper, and ignoring the usual busywork.

Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger — Brad swears by Munger’s mental models for sharper decision-making. He’s picked up plenty of counterintuitive lessons on how to scale, invest, and stay rational.

In this episode we cover:

00:00 Introduction to Brad Mac

02:06 The Unreasonable Origin Story

08:01 Transitioning to Unreasonable

10:12 The State of Performance Marketing

13:34 Measuring Success in Marketing

17:04 Creating Lasting Brands

23:29 The Role of AI in Marketing

29:55 The Future of Growth Marketing

33:45 Traditional Media's Place in Marketing

36:22 Building a Brand in the Digital Age

39:58 Underrated Marketing Channels

45:55 The Power of Personal Branding

48:14 Growing Unreasonable: Hiring and Culture

57:17 Navigating Client Relationships

01:00:45 Creating a Productive Work Environment

01:02:16 Maintaining Sanity in a Fast-Paced World

01:08:01 Quickfire Questions: Insights and Advice

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