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"Real Men of Genius" to AI: Bob Winter on the Future of Creative Branding · We Built This Brand

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Bob: Nothing that we create is created
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without human interaction and human input.
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Chris: Welcome to We Built This Brand, where we pull back
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the curtain on the people, the ideas, and the sometimes
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challenging process of building something that matters.
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Today, I'm joined by Bob Winter, chief creative officer at Supergood,
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an AI-fueled creative agency built by industry veterans to tackle
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modern marketing with speed, creativity, and serious firepower.
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Now, Bob is creator of Bud Light's Real Men of Genius campaign, the most
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awarded radio campaign in advertising history, and he has also served as
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the executive creative director at Leo Burnett and Crispin Porter Bogusky,
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working with brands like McDonald's, Nintendo, Netflix, and even PETA.
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In this conversation, we trace the arc from one of the advertising's
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most iconic campaigns to the frontier of AI-powered creative.
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So without further ado, here's my conversation with Bob Winter from Supergood
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All righty.
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Well, Bob, welcome to We Build This Brand.
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It's great to have you here.
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Bob: Hey, thanks for having me.
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Chris: Really excited to talk to you today about, um, I mean, some of the great
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campaigns you've worked on, some of the exciting things you've done in your
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career, and about your time at, um, Supergood, and what you're doing today.
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Um, would love to just dive in.
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Typically, where we get our start is just learning a little bit more about you.
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So tell me as simply as you can, um, just a little bit about
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your background and, and what got you to where you are today.
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Bob: Well, first of all, thanks again for, for having me.
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This is really exciting.
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Like you said, I'm Chief Creative Officer at Supergood, which is a new
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model creative agency, an AI native creative agency, uh, based in New York.
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I'm in Chicago.
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We have people all across the country, uh, which is pretty exciting.
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But what got me here is, um, I've always been interested
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in kind of pushing the boundaries and, and, and looking
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to see if there's a better way to do basically everything.
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And I had started, uh, after being with Leo Burnett for a long
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time, and other tr- traditional agencies like DDB, where I had
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great success and loved, loved my time there, also Crispin Porter.
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I had seen sort of things changing, and things wanting to
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change so badly in this industry, and people being frustrated
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with the way things were going and not having an alternative.
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And so I took the, um, took the initiative to go and
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start a new kind of creative agency called Majestic Beast,
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which I did in partnership with Whitehouse Productions.
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What the concept was, um, combining creative and production in one company.
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So, creatives would work right alongside directors, uh,
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producers, editors, uh, for all the way from, like, briefing
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to ship, just one team that was thinking and making.
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And while I was doing that, I got a call from an old buddy of mine, John
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Elder, who's the CEO of Supergood, and he said, "Hey, we have an opportunity
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to go and show some ideas." We didn't know it was a pitch at the time, but
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to sh- show some ideas to, um, US Bank which is now our biggest client.
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And so I said-- he said, "Would you wanna do it with us?"
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And I said, "Absolutely," because I had worked with John
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at Goodby, and he's one of the best account people and just
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leaders that I've ever, uh, been lucky enough to work with.
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And then I met Mike Barrett, who is the chief strategy
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officer, uh, who also founded Supergood, uh, with John.
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Um, and we went and pitched this together, and I
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had such a great time, such a great experience.
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It really was a good reminder of, like, it really is all about the people.
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You know, n-not much else matters in, in
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advertising and in life, I guess, right?
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Surrounding yourself with great people can really bring out the best in
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you, and that experience really showed me, like, oh my gosh, this is, like,
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something I've been wanting to have for a long time, a gr- an incredible team.
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Um, so we went and pitched this and actually won it.
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And, uh, s- weeks later, we were in Vancouver shooting a six-pot giant
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brand campaign, which was really exciting because it went from, like,
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this little glimmer of an idea to, like, "Hey, we might have a chance to
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show some ideas," to like, "Oh my gosh, we just won this big, huge…"
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I mean, it's a giant brand, as you can imagine, like
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the fifth lar- largest bank in the country, and we won
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it from, you know, it's a giant holding company agency.
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So to go in, like, s- basically six people just went and won this
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giant brand from, from a massive agency was really, really exciting.
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And at that point, um, I think all of us kind of decided, like, "Wow, I think
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maybe we should make this official, and, like, we should all work together."
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So they offered me the opportunity to come and be their
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chief creative officer, which of course I jumped at.
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I was so excited.
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Um And that's how we got here.
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And then since then we've been lucky enough to have
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launched some really great campaigns for US Bank, but
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also other brands like Tito's Vodka, C4 Energy Drinks.
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Um, we just won, it's really exciting, we just
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won a new brand called Second Nature Snacks.
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Um, and they have a brand called Sanders Candy that we actually went into
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the pitch with finished work, like produced work that we made via AI.
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And, um, not only did we win the pitch, but they actually bought the work
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that we brought to the pitch, and they ran it like weeks later for Easter.
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So it was, it was really exciting.
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So anyways, now we're here and we're doing it, and, uh, it's really exciting.
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I'm so happy that it all worked out.
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Chris: Wow, uh, that, that leads to so many
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more questions that I, that I have now.
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I'm gonna, I'm gonna put a pin in some of them from now because, you know, just,
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just as you talk through your story, um, you know, I always find it interesting
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when people go from being, you know, in one, one thing that they say, "This is
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what I'm gonna study," and then they end up in a completely different field.
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So, um, and I, I think over time I've noticed this
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actually has a pretty natural bridge, but I am curious.
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You studied journalism, I think, at Drake?
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Bob: Yes.
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Yeah, yep.
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Chris: And how did you end up in advertising after that?
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Like, that, that seems like a bit of a jump.
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I mean, I can understand it's all writing, but
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like what, um, what made you make that jump?
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Bob: It's funny.
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In high school I had this aptitude for art.
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I was doing really well in art classes, but for some reason
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my dumb brain didn't think that that could be like a job.
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I think it was probably because of like the people around me, and
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all my friends were like business majors and doing smart guy things.
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And so I went to college and I was like, "I'm gonna be a business
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major," because that's what responsible people do, right?
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And so I went, uh, I went, I got to school and I got
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absolutely toasted in all of my business classes.
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Like, my brain does not do well with math.
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Uh, my brain doesn't do well with science.
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I mean, I had a stat- statistics class where my, my
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poor professor would meet with me regularly after class
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and try and help me 'cause he knew I was struggling.
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And one day he kind of like closed the book and
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he's like, "Bob, statistics is not for you."
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I was like, "Yeah, I know.
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No kidding.
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Tell me something I don't know."
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I, I go, "I, I know.
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Like, what, what should I do?" And he goes, "Well, do you wanna
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take a look at the course book?" And I was like, "Absolutely."
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And like, how cool was it that he did that, by the way?
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And he, so he sat there and we went through the course book and he's
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like, "School of Medicine, school of law, school of journalism."
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And I'm like, "Whoa, what's that?" And he's like, "I don't know.
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Let's look at the classes." And, but the classes were all
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like creative writing, advertising, marketing, you know.
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They're really interesting to me.
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And honestly, I had no idea that that even existed.
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So for me to find that in that moment, like, and then all of a sudden
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college went from being like a chore where I was barely scraping by to all
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of a sudden I was just on fire, like loving it, like loving my classes.
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Then from there, after I graduated I got offered a job
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at, um, it was actually a, a small ad agency called
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BBDS, Bender, Browning, Dolby & Sanderson, in Chicago.
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Um, great place to start, and I actually didn't
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get a job in the advertising part of the agency.
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They also had a PR part of the agency, and they were
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looking for a creative writer in the PR department.
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Um, and so I said, "Well, that's great.
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I mean, I'm gonna be using my, my writing skills, and I'm gonna be in
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an ad agency, not in the advertising part, but I'll be exposed to all of
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that." And my f- my first position actually was, uh, m- one of our clients
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was, my, my boss was childhood friends with Davy Jones from The Monkees.
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And so- I,
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Chris: I actually know who that is.
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Bob: Of course you do.
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Um, but he had just published a book called They Made a Monkey
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Out of Me, and I went basically to every bad mall in the
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country with Davy Jones and s- set up his book signing tour.
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And, uh, so that was my first foray into the world of, uh,
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communications, but which was sort of a s- strange way to enter.
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But then while I was doing all that, I would sit next, you know, down the
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hall from the advertising guys and gals and, and they would sort of, like,
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feed me briefs, 'cause I kept going down and saying like, "Oh, I'm really
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interested in being, you know, like a, a copywriter." Um, and so they would
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like lob briefs over at me, and I would just like on my spare time, you
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know, pitch in ideas, and eventually they're like, "Yeah, you should do this.
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You should move down here." So they convinced me to move down there.
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So that's kind of how I landed in advertising, and then
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from there, I was really lucky and ended up at, um, at DDB.
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So I sent my portfolio, which back in the day, this is gonna
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tell you how old I am, back in the day it was like a, a
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black case full of laminated boards with all your ads in it.
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And I remember taking it around to all, all these agencies that
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I had dreamed of working at, and, like, they would sometimes make
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suggestions on it s- an ad. Like, "Oh, I think maybe the copy should
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be like this." And I would go, "But it's laminated." It's already done.
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But yeah, that's, that's how I ended up, um, you know, going
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from journalism into advertising, and I'm so glad that I found it
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because I honestly never knew it existed, but I love it so much.
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Chris: That's a cool transition, and, um, I feel like
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I've heard that story a number of times with folks.
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I didn't know it
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Bob: was cool at the time.
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I was just doing, following where the road took me.
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Chris: Yeah.
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And, and it becomes, it becomes an interesting, um, you know, story because
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ultimately, like, that creativity led you to doing some really cool campaigns.
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When, and tell me more about the Real Men of Genius campaign.
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I have two reasons why it's important to me.
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Number one is I was a lifeguard in the early 2000s, so
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I heard the radio all the time, and I cannot tell you
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how many times I heard the Real Men of Genius campaign.
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Bob: That was obviously such a big break for me, and I think, um, when
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I look back on it, I think a lot of it was just right place, right
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time kind of thing, which a lot of people have stories like that.
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But it's also the ability to kind of like- Have your ears and eyes
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open for opportunities and, and to be willing to say yes to some
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things that maybe you might be uncomfortable with or scared of.
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And at the time, I was actually working, I was at, this was
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at DDB, and b- at that time, DDB was really just rocking it,
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like, ah, the Super Bowl ads, like, they were just on fire.
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It was really a, a really exciting place to be.
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It was an exciting time in advertising.
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Like, there was just money and and just big, huge, giant
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productions and, like, big swings at big, bold, creative ideas.
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And, and DDB, as you know, like, kinda stood for that and was sort of a
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flag in the ground for, you know, people who wanted to do that kinda work.
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So I was so lucky to get there.
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But anyways, I was working in the, the McDonald's group at the time,
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which was, uh, a- also an amazing brand, like, so lucky to work on that.
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And then, um, I heard that they w- they had an assignment
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in the, in the Budweiser group, which, like, a lot of young
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writers were just, like, dying to get into the Budweiser
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group 'cause they were doing all this really exciting work.
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Not that the McDonald's work wasn't exciting, but you know what I mean.
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Anyways, so but then they, they basically asked if I wanted to
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chip in on a brief, and the brief was a radio brief that all the
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creatives were just completely burnt out by because it, they had gone
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through, like, round 45 and everything was dead, and they took stuff
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to clients over and over again, and the clients were like, "No."
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And so they were like, "Let's get some fresh people in here." So they
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offered me the opportunity to jump in on the brief, and oh, it, it was
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one of those things, like I said before, where it was a little bit,
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like, s- intimidating and scary and like, "Oh, this is kind of what
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I always wanted, to get into this group, and now here I have a chance
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to show what I can do," and like, "Oh, what if I don't do it right?"
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It was re- it was very scary, but I, I kinda just took it.
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In a way it was good that I wasn't in the group because it was just all, all
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me on my own, kind of like off in my own head, like, coming up with crazy
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ideas and, and trying to do something that honestly that I loved, that I,
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that I, I thought was interesting and fun and, like, could be sustainable.
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And then I remember bringing it to, uh, my creative directors at the time,
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Mark Gross and Bi- Bill Cimino, who are amazing creatives and great leaders.
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And, and I remember that they asked me to, like, leave the scripts with them
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and then shut the door, and I- so I left, and I didn't even get to, you know,
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go over it with them at the time 'cause they were just looking at a lot of work.
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But I kind of stalked the office, and I was going up and down the hallway and
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trying to listen, and I just remember them la- hearing them laughing a lot.
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And I was like, "Oh my gosh.
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Oh my gosh.
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Oh my gosh.
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This is gonna be great." So, um, they eventually called me in
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and said, like, they, they thought there was some real merit in
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this, and they had some great ideas for, like, how to plus it up.
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But next thing I know, I was, like, writing, like, f- I think I wrote, like, f-
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the first 10 to take to the client, and we went and presented it to the client.
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I didn't go.
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I was too young and junior to go.
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But other people went and presented it to the client.
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But I remember hearing the story that, um, I don't know, maybe
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you've heard this, but the first time that this was presented to
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the, to the Budweiser clients, they hated it, like, really hated it.
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And 'cause if you think about it, it was very unusual that campaign, um, I
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was gonna say at the time, but really any time really, but it was really just
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about the joy of cel- like celebrating the audience and, and doing, uh, doing,
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like coming up with an idea that connect, that could connect with people, um,
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just on a human level that wasn't really about the product and selling RTBs or
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l- you know, how, why it's better than any other brand or anything like that.
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It was really just about the pure joy of like
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connection and celebration of the audience.
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And so it's understandable that they would be like, "This isn't b- what
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we would want. Like, it's not saying anything." But it, in a way it was
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saying a lot about the brand because it said, you know, we get you and we
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understand you and we want this to be fun for all of us, which is great.
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But what was really cool is after the client didn't like it, um, Bob Scarpelli,
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who was our chief creative officer at the time, amazing human being by the
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way, amazing man, amazing leader, great, I'm so lucky to have worked with him.
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He is so patient, thoughtful, kind, but also just so driven.
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And he basically said like, "We're gonna produce these."
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And so he like paid to have these produced.
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So we produced I think the first three, and then sent that
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tape, at the time it was tape, sent that tape to the client who
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was in LA and then like held our breath while we were waiting
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to hear and, uh, didn't actually hear anything, like for days.
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And we're like, "Oh, well maybe he didn't get it.
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I don't know what's going on." And everybody's like, "Oh,
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s- I don't know what's going on." So we finally heard back.
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They were on the ph- phone with him about some other things.
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They, "Hey, by the way, did you get that tape with the, the…" It was
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ac- it was called Real American Heroes at the time, the first iteration.
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He goes, "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it." They go, they go, "Well, what'd you
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think?" He goes, "I think it's on the side of the fucking 405 freeway right now.
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I threw it out the window of my car."
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Chris: That's tough.
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That's a, that's tough- That was it … rejection right
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Bob: there.
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I was like, "Oh, wow. Oh, okay." You know, like that didn't go quite the way
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we wanted, but- Um, credit to the agency and the, the leaders of the agency.
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They were just so, like they really believed in it and they just
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kept at it, and they just kept going back and like bringing it back
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and like we wrote more and, and like revised it and came up with
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other ideas like adding in like the background singers and stuff.
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Like just kept pushing it and plussing it and making it better.
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And eventually they paid for like the production of I think
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like the first 10 spots, and then that went really well.
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And like it was awesome to see that like the agency believed in it and they
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believed in it so much they didn't let it go until the point that the client
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was like, "Okay, let's try it." And then it actually really did well, and
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then from there it was like the next year it was like, "Let's do 10 more."
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And honestly, I was like, "That's it. I don't… There can't be any more."
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But there was like, there, you know, then cut to like 10 years later and
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we'd done 200 of them and made it into a television campaign as well.
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Like just really, uh, bloomed into this amazing
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campaign that I feel so lucky to be a part of.
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And, and, and what was great for me too is not only like seeing a little thing
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that my dumb brain came up with, but also like seeing how it can like turn into
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something that w- started as a radio brief that everybody didn't wanna work on.
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You know, like it was just, it was just everybody's burnt out on it.
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It started as that, and I always tell younger people Um, that,
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you know, you just have to look for those opportunities, and it
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might be something that nobody's paying attention to, or that
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people don't wanna work on, and sometimes those can be the best.
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And, and same with brands, right?
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Like, maybe overlooked brands can be, like, really exciting, you know.
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Maybe, maybe it's not always the big things that are the m- the most exciting.
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But look, you know, try and keep your ears and eyes open
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for opportunities to do something a little bit different.
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Chris: Yeah.
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So you said, you said that it was Real American Heroes when you started.
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Uh, that was around, what?
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1998 or so, I think.
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Yeah.
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Bob: Yeah, yeah.
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Chris: And then after that, it had to be rebranded, obviously.
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I know it as Real Men of Genius.
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What was that transition?
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Why did that name change come about?
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Was it just part of the branding process, or-
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Bob: It was because of 9/11, actually.
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Chris: Oh.
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I could see that.
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Bob: Uh, 9/11 came, and we had this campaign called Real American Heroes
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that was sort of like a tongue-in-cheek spoof of odd jobs in America.
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It didn't feel right, you know.
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It didn't feel right in that moment.
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So that was actually n- it's funny.
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There were so many moments where I was like, "It's done. That's it. We
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had a great run." There were so many moments, and it just kept going.
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And honestly, credit to, to Mark and Bill, they
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were like, "Let's come up with a different name.
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We can rebrand this." So, um, Real Men of Genius became the new
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name, and it, and, and then it just took off again, which was great.
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But again, like, ba- back to, like, the point of people just
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being unwilling to let things die or to let things stop when we
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know we really believed in it, and, and, and, and the people that
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I worked with really, you know, pushed for it, which was great.
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Chris: Yeah.
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Uh, I like the way, like, the whole campaign
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kinda lets people in on the joke, too.
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It kinda gives you that idea of, like, "Oh,
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I know why these are real men of genius."
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Bob: Yeah.
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E- yeah, exactly.
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I mean, I think that's part of it, is like, like I said, like, I just wrote
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them for myself 'cause I thought they were interesting, and it was just
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interesting to me that, like, this brand that sort of was the, the brand
18:20
that celebrated sort of the working class Americans, like, to be able to
18:24
celebrate- Those that have like, these peo- they're, they're real jobs.
18:29
Somebody really is a driving range ball picker-upper.
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Somebody really is a bowling shoe put a- giver-outer.
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You know, like, those are real jobs.
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Like, but it's really, it's interesting to, to look at that and s-
18:39
and, and to let everybody be able to laugh with us about it, right?
18:42
Like, we all do ridiculous things.
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Advertising's a ridiculous thing.
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Working in a bowling alley is ridiculous, too.
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Like, and if we all kind of like have a moment to not take ourselves so
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seriously, maybe this could be, like, a pleasant experience, you know?
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Chris: And that, I mean, I think that's what, that's what the,
18:57
the genius, pun intended, is of the campaign, is that, um, that
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you are kind of like honoring real people in amongst it as well.
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It's not just silly.
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It's not just funny.
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It's something everybody can connect to, which is
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really, you know, a core part of what Budweiser is.
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So I could see why the f- why your team would be like, "Oh
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no, we're gonna make this work," and try as hard as they did.
19:20
Bob: For sure.
19:21
For sure.
19:22
Chris: So y- you've, you've done that.
19:24
You've grown.
19:25
You're now at Supergood, and so tell me more about your,
19:29
your time at Supergood, and I really wanna know, when you say
19:32
you're an AI-first agency, what exactly do you mean by that?
19:37
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20:18
Bob: We started the agency with the notion that there m- there, there might be
20:22
a better way to do this whole thing called advertising, and I think a lot of us
20:26
had come from more traditional backgrounds and just been sort of frustrated with
20:31
the process and always wondering if there's a better way to do this whole thing.
20:34
And, and the, the whole notion of Supergood
20:37
is to basically … We're all very restless.
20:39
All of us who are the sort of the, the, the principals
20:43
of the agency, we're restless people by nature.
20:45
We are constantly looking for a better way.
20:47
I think the idea of Supergood is that there
20:49
is a better way to do this whole thing.
20:51
There's a better way to do, um, briefings.
20:54
There's a better way to, to get data.
20:55
There's a better way to do research.
20:57
There's a better way to actually, like, concept and create advertising.
21:00
There's a better way to produce advertising, too.
21:02
So I think that was sort of the notion that led us to, to, to make
21:07
this thing go, and it's been really exciting to watch it take off.
21:10
And the AI part of the agency and why we bill ourselves like
21:13
a AI, AI native creative agency is because AI was … AI
21:17
has always been kind of, like, central to what we do.
21:20
It started out, like, when I started with them, it was … I would have
21:25
said, "I think we'll use it for everything but actually making creative."
21:28
Like, "I think we'll use it for research.
21:30
We'll use it for data.
21:31
We'll use it for making everything go a little bit faster and getting
21:35
to answers quicker." But I didn't think at the time that it could
21:39
be … That it would be pr- appropriate to use it for actually creating
21:42
in-market work because at the time it was, it was not there yet.
21:47
It wasn't quite ready yet for that.
21:49
But what's crazy is that wasn't that long ago, and it's already now to
21:52
the point where we've actually created a whole AI production studio.
21:56
So now we have, like, we've hired a incredible, like, AI director,
22:00
a guy named Andrew Robertson, who used to work at Wieden+Kennedy.
22:03
He was their in-house editor.
22:05
He's a filmmaker, but he also is amazing with AI.
22:08
So he's kind of like a secret weapon for us because he, he's an amazing
22:12
creative person, period, but he also has the ability to think in AI,
22:17
but then create in AI, then edit also, so he can … We have, like, this
22:22
great studio that's sort of a secret weapon now, and we're al- also, like,
22:26
building a team around Andrew so that that can really be its own machine.
22:30
And what's awesome is, you know, as a creative person, I used to limit
22:34
my thinking to what I thought was either possible or responsible.
22:38
You know what I mean?
22:39
Like, you would have a filter over things that would be like, "Ah,
22:42
I could never propose that. That'd be preposterous." You know?
22:45
Like … Or, "It would just cost too much," or, "It would take too much time."
22:47
Well, now I kind of, like, am able to take that off of my shoulders and
22:52
just go like, "But what if?" Like, because now we … There's a really good
22:56
possibility we can make it, and we can make it ourselves, and we can make it
22:59
way faster and for … And way more efficiently than we ever could have before.
23:02
So, you know, part of why I think we're getting a
23:04
lot of traction right now is it, it allows us to
23:08
First of all, none of it's gonna work if we don't make great work, period.
23:11
But it allows us to make Hopefully, knock on wood,
23:14
great work a lot faster and a lot more efficiently.
23:18
So, you know, one- when you, and when you put that together, it
23:21
is something that basically every brand is looking for right now.
23:24
And, and while they might not be saying like, "Oh, I
23:27
need AI," they are saying, "I need faster, more effective
23:29
solutions to creating work that goes out in the market."
23:33
And also, you know, we're big enough that we can do some really big things.
23:37
We're g- creating giant brand campaigns for US Bank, for example.
23:41
Um, but also, like, not so big that we're not nimble and approachable.
23:44
Like, all of our clients get direct access, like, all of our s- uh, the
23:47
leaders, so we work on every single piece of business, and we do all…
23:50
We work on every piece of work.
23:52
So it's not so big that, you know, we're removed
23:55
from things and we don't show up when we're needed.
23:57
We're all in it together, which honestly, like, I love
24:00
too, just as, as a human being, but as, as a creative
24:03
too, I, I get energy from being around those people.
24:06
So, and it's great that we're kind of like a, a small but mighty
24:10
team who really has a shared goal of making great work out in
24:14
the world and, and like, being good humans while we're doing it.
24:18
And so it's just a good group to be around that is making
24:21
some, some real waves, which is pretty exciting for us.
24:24
Chris: That, that is a really great approach.
24:26
When, when you think about how you're developing the
24:29
agency AI first, where does the creative brain begin?
24:36
Where does it, um… How much of it is, you know, talking something
24:40
into existence, so to speak, or prompting it into existence versus, um,
24:45
actual execution from your team or from other creatives you work with?
24:49
Bob: Nothing that we create uh, is created
24:52
without human interaction and human input.
24:56
So there's, at no point is it, like, just automated and we go, like,
24:59
"We input the brief and just hit a button," and like, out comes work.
25:02
Like, that just … I mean, honestly, even if we could
25:05
do that, we wouldn't wanna do that because- It's a
25:06
Chris: recipe for disaster
25:07
Bob: it, it is, but also because we're kind of, like,
25:11
I was gonna say control freaks, but that's not it.
25:12
We might be a little bit control freak, but we also, like, uh, have real
25:15
pride in the, the level of creativity and of the output of our work.
25:21
Like, it matters a lot to us.
25:22
And so in order to, to make sure that things are crafted the way they need
25:26
to be, that everything hits all the right notes, that we're not, not only,
25:30
like, on-brief and, like, on solving the business problem, but we're doing
25:33
it in a, in a way that's really, like, artful and beautiful, and that, that
25:36
the, the craft is there in all of it, and that has to require human beings.
25:41
So at, at no point is it all just, like, autonomous.
25:44
It, it, uh, it always works in service of the idea, and I think that's
25:49
something that's been very important to us because we don't want people to
25:52
think at any point that this is just automated or that it is made by chance.
25:57
You know what I mean?
25:57
It's all
25:58
And because there is obviously, like, an element with AI that is a
26:01
little bit of chance, and that's part of the excitement of it, is you
26:04
p- you put in some prompts, you don't really know what you're gonna get.
26:07
But part of the b- you know, what we believe in
26:09
is you d- you as a human being need to craft that.
26:12
So you have to take that output and you have to shape it and you have to
26:15
re-prompt it and go at it again, and com- keep, you know, filtering it,
26:18
refining it, pushing it until you start getting output that you really like.
26:22
And sometimes that requires not only, like, the use of different
26:27
technologies, but the d- different skill sets of people too.
26:30
So we're constantly looking for the best production partners, the best
26:34
partners to make an- any, uh, any of our music, our audio, our filmmakers.
26:38
Like, we … Those are actual people that we wanna be, uh, working with so
26:42
that we can complement our skill set and our technology with real human skill.
26:47
Chris: You don't wanna be in a place where you just press a button
26:48
and send it out, or you'll end up like the, the, what is it?
26:51
The New York Post article that I saw recently where it was, the headline
26:55
was something about Meghan Markle, and the photo was of an Amazon
26:59
drone dropping a package, and all the copy around it and the link was
27:03
to the Amazon article and had nothing to do with Me- Meghan Markle.
27:07
And I was like, "Oh man, Meghan Markle's turned into a drone now?
27:10
Like, I don't know what's going on here."
27:11
Bob: Yeah, no, we don't wanna do that.
27:13
But also to be honest, like, it's- We're, we're like
27:18
the crazy people who actually think this is fun.
27:20
Like, I think we would be sad if we c- even if we could automate
27:23
it and it would be beautiful, like it would not be as fulfilling.
27:26
So I think we really enjoy the process of it, and I would be really sad
27:30
if I d- if I was just a leader who was pressing buttons and not in there.
27:34
Like, I still write every day.
27:35
I write, I concept work and get in the thick of it, and we're in the
27:39
middle of like a huge production and e- editorial process right now where,
27:43
like I love getting in the thick of it with editors and looking at cuts
27:46
and talk, thinking about things like music and voiceover and all of that.
27:49
Like, it's, it's a passion for all of us, so we
27:52
would be sad if we were removed from the equation.
27:55
Chris: Right.
27:55
That's, that's part of the fun of doing it, is actually
27:57
being involved and having your hands in the mix.
28:00
Bob: Exactly, yeah.
28:01
Exactly right.
28:02
Chris: So then from, from that perspective, being, being AI
28:05
fueled and everything that you're doing, where does, um, I
28:10
guess where does AI sit in the creative process for you then?
28:14
Bob: It's in the middle of it.
28:14
I mean, it's there, it's in it.
28:16
Uh, this is like a overused phrase, but it's a tool.
28:18
It's a tool that we all use and we're all fluent in.
28:21
We all use it differently 'cause it's very personal.
28:23
Like, some people use it for inspiration, some people
28:25
use it for data, some people use it for actually creating
28:30
comps and things like that, and we do all of that.
28:32
And, and we're, we're constantly looking for ways to improve that as well.
28:36
Like, you know, and that's part of why we hire people like Andrew, who has
28:40
come in and said, like he's, he's really proficient in all of the AI tools.
28:45
He also will sit us down and be like, "Here's
28:47
how I made this. Let me show you the process."
28:49
Like, he oftentimes will use multiple tools to create one
28:52
piece of output, and it's really interesting his process,
28:55
because it is very iterative, like I was… Iterative.
28:58
That's easy to say.
28:59
Um, like I was saying, but it also is, you know, it's, it's something
29:03
where he is himself, you know, like looking at the output and,
29:07
and not being satisfied until it's really exactly what we want.
29:10
And so for us as creatives, that, those tools are
29:14
vital to what we do, but they are a tool, you know?
29:17
And, and you know, people say things like, "Oh, there's
29:21
too much AI slop out there in the world." But honestly,
29:24
like, there's been slop in advertising forever.
29:28
Bef- before it was created with AI.
29:29
Like, there's been a lot of junk and garbage put out in the world,
29:33
and so it still remains the same in that we, we wanna make sure our
29:37
output is really great, really great ideas, but that they're brought
29:41
to life in, in ways that are really, you know, beau- beautifully
29:44
produced, beautifully crafted, and that they solve the business problem.
29:48
Like, none of it works if the business problem isn't being solved,
29:52
because then we don't get more jobs and we don't get more work.
29:55
Like, so we really kind of put that, put the problem at the center and
29:59
then use the tools, all the tools that we have, not just AI, any, any
30:03
technology that we have, to help solve the problem and then bring it
30:06
to life in ways that maybe we couldn't have done before there was AI.
30:10
Chris: Oh, that makes sense.
30:11
Um, and, and I like that that… I like that approach because what, what I
30:15
find is, like, when people are pressing the button, it just, it doesn't work.
30:18
And I think you're right, AI slop, I always
30:22
think of the, um, what do you call it?
30:23
The graphic design is my passion meme, if
30:26
you've seen that one probably a time or two.
30:29
Like that, you're right, that, that type of thing has been
30:31
around a long time, working in smaller markets and things like
30:34
that myself, like you, you just come across that all the time.
30:37
Um, I think the difference is the challenge with AI can
30:41
be sameness, things looking the same, feeling the same.
30:45
That's one of the biggest critiques I've heard about Claude's new design
30:47
AI, which by the time this comes out, it'll have been out for a little
30:51
while, it may have improved, but like that's the complaints I hear.
30:54
So yeah, so it sounds like you all have processes in place
30:57
to keep things from looking the same and being unique.
31:01
Bob: You know, to your point, it's just a level
31:03
of, like, commitment and a level of taste.
31:05
You know what I mean?
31:06
Just we will not be satisfied with something that is below
31:09
par for us in terms of what, what we expect out of the output.
31:13
Um, we wouldn't have an agency called Supergood if our work was just good.
31:20
Chris: That is- that's a great point.
31:22
So, so to that name, your name is Supergood.
31:24
What, where did that name come from?
31:26
Bob: Kind of like all of us have a restless nature and a belief that
31:29
there's gotta be something better than just good, and having seen sort of
31:32
the world around us feel like everything's good, but just good, you know?
31:36
And good enough, and that was unsatisfying for us.
31:40
And so looking at things and saying like, "Why do we do it
31:43
that way?" You know, why is production, like, done in, like, an
31:46
assembly line fashion where everything just goes like you pass
31:49
it, pass this stage, and then you pass it to the next stage?
31:52
Why can't it be collaborative and iterative and much faster
31:54
and more efficient and therefore, like, a lot more exciting?
31:57
Like, that's kind of the genesis of it.
31:59
So basically, it means we're not gonna just settle for good anymore.
32:04
Um, and we need it to be super good.
32:05
There's also something about the name, I
32:07
think, that is kind of a… It's approachable.
32:10
It sou- to me, it sounds like human beings wrote it.
32:13
It's not, it doesn't sound…
32:14
And I think that helps, um, offset a little bit, like, our tech nature and
32:19
the fact that we are, like, very technology-based, but it helps, I, make it
32:23
feel, I think anyways, a little bit more human, a little bit more approachable.
32:27
Chris: I like the name.
32:27
It's a fun name.
32:28
You know, you want your, you want your brand to be super good, right?
32:32
You don't want it to just be good.
32:33
You want it to be super good.
32:35
Bob: Oh, yeah.
32:35
Exactly.
32:35
It,
32:36
Chris: it definitely has that simplicity to it.
32:38
I think you've nailed that on the head and… So, so tell me a
32:41
little bit more, like, what, um, what have you learned about,
32:44
like, going through this process of moving into AI for you?
32:47
Has it been something you were kind of using as you came into the
32:49
company yourself, or has this been a, a new, um, new process for you?
32:54
Bob: Yeah.
32:54
It's, it's b- largely been new.
32:56
I mean, it's been something that, like, I would say, like, has been on
32:59
my radar for a long time, but not anything that I've been proficient at.
33:02
And t- for me, it's been so exciting to surmount- surround myself
33:05
with people who are real experts, and that I myself can learn from.
33:08
Like, it's so interesting to be at a point in your career where, you know,
33:12
you're very senior in your position, but you're still learning, and I love that.
33:16
I love that it's like it's teaching me new skills.
33:18
It's helping me open my eyes to things that I didn't think was possible.
33:21
Like, that's what's really great about it to me.
33:24
Chris: So Bob, as you, as you think through all of this stuff
33:27
and, and kind of look towards the future, what do you see?
33:29
Like, what's top of mind for you as you're
33:31
looking at what's coming down the pike?
33:33
Bob: I think the biggest thing, like for us as an agency is, is growing
33:38
and continuing to grow, but to grow responsibly and to put the work first.
33:42
I think that's what's been exciting for us is we're, because of the, the
33:47
nature of our business being somewhat unique and like our proposition
33:50
being pretty unique in that we do things two times faster, two times more
33:53
efficiently, but we make great work, and we're small enough to be nimble,
33:56
but not so big that we can't be, you know, approachable and accessible.
34:01
I think that's sort of leading us down a path where
34:03
we're growing, but we also wanna grow responsibly.
34:06
We want the sa- clients who are like-minded,
34:08
who want the same kind of work that we do.
34:10
And then growing out our team.
34:11
Like, that's a big thing for me too is like making sure that we're
34:15
surrounding ourselves by, you know, with people that we love and
34:18
respect, but also who are bringing something to the party that we
34:21
don't have, that are bringing new skill sets, that are pushing me even.
34:24
And, and, and I think that's what's really exciting.
34:27
And for me it's about, you know, not just growing the agency, but
34:30
growing, you know, not, you know, like in billings and stuff like
34:33
that, which is obviously important, and we are growing, but also just
34:36
growing the type of agency that we are and continuing to look at…
34:40
You know, right now we are AI native and we are very
34:43
tech-focused, but there's gonna be new technologies.
34:45
I mean, they're, they're coming out all the time, every day.
34:48
So staying at the forefront of that and making sure that we're
34:50
harnessing the power of all that's available to us and doing it
34:53
in a way that is leading to better work and a better culture.
34:56
And for me, if we get the right people in, and we stay on top
35:00
of all of the technology and, and tools that are available
35:02
to us, and we have this vision to create great work using all
35:06
of those tools, like we're gonna, we're gonna be successful.
35:10
I hope so.
35:11
Yeah,
35:11
Chris: I mean that's, that's really the only way you can do it, right?
35:14
Bob: I think.
35:15
Yeah.
35:15
That's kind of the game.
35:16
Yeah.
35:17
Chris: Uh, well as we wrap up, I always like to ask this
35:20
question, which is, what brand do you admire the most?
35:25
And maybe right now in the moment, doesn't have to be all time.
35:28
You're, you're in Chicago, we've been talking Budweiser.
35:30
You know, I was, um… I've always heard the quote, you
35:33
know, "The best beer is the one that's in your hand."
35:35
So, like, maybe the best brand's the one that's in your hand, too.
35:38
But, like, what, what is it for you?
35:40
Bob: Yeah, no, that's cool.
35:40
I mean, obviously I have so much passion and heart for
35:43
Budweiser and McDonald's, which is what I grew up on.
35:46
Um, and then I love the brands that we're working on now, our clients.
35:49
I mean, true- truly, I really do.
35:50
Like, US Bank is an amazing brand and even better people.
35:55
They're some of the best clients I've ever gotten to work with.
35:58
But I think when I look at, like, just brands out in the world,
36:01
things that really inspire me right now, I would say Liquid Death
36:04
is one that's been really fun to watch, and it's been so exciting
36:08
to me because, like, they took on a category that was kind of
36:12
sleepy and it was full of, like, yoga and daisies and, you know?
36:16
Like, it was… The bottled water category
36:19
was not what you would call exciting, right?
36:21
It was all about, like, flowing mountain waters and all of that stuff.
36:24
And here they came out and they basically introduced a brand.
36:27
First of all, the name is insane.
36:30
Like, I look at all of it and I'm like, "How did any of it get approved?
36:33
How did any of it go forward?" It's crazy to me.
36:35
But some of the best things in the world are like that, where you're like, "How
36:38
did that even get made?" So to get, to get a, a brand called Liquid Death, which
36:43
I think I understood that the, the genesis of the name was basically it was,
36:47
like, death to plastics, I think, and so that's why they had the aluminum cans.
36:51
But even e- even just, like, having the, the courage to come up with a
36:55
name like that and put that in market, but then, like, do the branding.
36:58
You know, they have that sort of, like, heavy metal branding, and then
37:01
they have cans that look like they're beer cans and, and all the things
37:05
that they do are really smart, but also, like, really pushing the envelope.
37:08
Like, you know, they did… Like, even
37:10
their product names are, are, are hilarious.
37:13
I think I was just at the store the other day and I saw they had,
37:15
like, um, I think it was called … Uh, it was a iced tea lemonade,
37:20
and it was called Armless Palmer, which I was… Which made me laugh.
37:25
But it's like, okay, but that's again, like, who got that approved?
37:28
How, who had the courage to actually name a product that, which was so great?
37:32
And then, you know, they're constantly doing really
37:34
interesting and provocative things like that in the world.
37:38
Like, I think they just not too long ago did, um, like, a Spinal Tap
37:42
collaboration, you know, with the- Mm-hmm … with the water, which was great.
37:45
And, uh, again, like, n- a place you wouldn't
37:48
expect a bottled water brand to show up.
37:50
So the fact that they just keep pushing it.
37:52
And, you know, they did great Super Bowl work, where it was so
37:55
sort of like they made fun of, like, drinking on the job and stuff
37:58
like that, 'cause it looks like it's beer, but it's actually water.
38:00
So just to be, to be able to be irreverent, but
38:03
also to be wildly successful, that's what's cool.
38:07
I think I was reading an article the other day about
38:08
how it's, like, a brand that's actually loved by moms.
38:12
And I think it's because moms wanna feel cool.
38:14
They wanna be in the cool club too.
38:15
And so, like… And they just wanna be around, like, exciting,
38:18
fun brands, which is a good reminder for all of us, right?
38:21
Chris: I hear them so often, um, come up, and I keep, I keep trying
38:25
to find, like… We need to make a pitch for them, because I've
38:28
had it so many times said on this podcast, it's like, we, we just
38:31
need to pitch them and then see if we can get them on the show.
38:33
That's funny.
38:33
They owe you.
38:34
They owe
38:34
Bob: you.
38:35
Chris: They do.
38:35
I mean, at least, at least a f- you know, at least a case of- Yeah, please
38:39
something.
38:39
If there's a rep watching, I would love to have you all on.
38:42
So please, if you're watching or listening, please join.
38:45
Bob: You guys heard it.
38:46
You guys heard it.
38:47
Chris: You heard it here first.
38:49
Anyways, um, well, Bob, great having you on today.
38:52
Really appreciate it.
38:53
And, uh, yeah, before we go, always wanna just promote you, um, and
38:58
anything else you wanna, you wanna share or make sure people are aware of.
39:01
So, um, where can people find you?
39:03
Where can they find out more about Supergood?
39:05
Bob: Uh, well, you can look for us on the internet.
39:08
We have a website.
39:09
Go look for, uh, gosupergood.com.
39:11
Yeah, please, anybody that's interested in working with us, reach out to me.
39:15
Any brands that would like to have us put our
39:17
talents to good use for you, please reach out.
39:20
But, um, thank you so much for the opportunity.
39:22
It was a great chat.
39:23
It was really fun.
39:24
Mm-hmm.
39:24
And, uh, I hope it all goes well.
39:27
Chris: Thank you, Bob.
39:28
I appreciate it.
39:29
Bob: Thank you.
39:30
All right, buddy.
39:31
Have a great day
39:34
Chris: Thanks for checking out this episode of We Built This Brand.
39:37
Don't forget to like, follow, and subscribe on your player of choice.
39:41
You can also keep up with the podcast on our website at webuiltthisbrand.com.
39:46
If you like this episode, please give the podcast a five-star review, and make
39:50
sure to tell all your friends about it so we can continue to build this brand.