Dan Cohen loves a good challenge.

Tell him he can’t say something in a campaign headline and he’ll find a creative way around it, to the delight of clients and customers alike.

Over the past thirty years, Dan’s creative, collaborative approach has helped a wide variety of brands in commoditized categories, including Bounty (paper towels), Charmin (toilet paper), Pampers (diapers), Pepto-Bismol (digestion), and Puffs (facial tissue).

He’s also worked on the other side of the advertising spectrum, re-energizing luxury brands like Rolex, DeBeers, and Bentley.

No matter what he’s working on though, Dan always manages to find those aha moments hiding in plain sight - in data points, personal experiences, and in casual conversations with his creative teams.

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Dan include:

• The data point that became a powerful springboard for Bounty’s latest campaign
• How to build awareness for brands in commoditized categories
• Charmin’s creative activations in unexpected places like Pottypalooza and Times Square
• How Gen-Z has upended the traditional approach to linear storytelling
• The summer job Dan had in college that taught him a valuable lesson

Show Notes:

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

Wingmen Gronk & Julian Edelman Spill the Sauce on Their Patriot Days

Lions - Bounty Wingtracker Campaign | The Work

Charmin Restroom Activation in Times Square

Charmin Rollbot at the Consumer Electronics Show

Charmin Toilet Tunes - TikTok

Charmin Toilet Tunes - Spotify

Heinz Tilted Ketchup Label

Dan’s Favorite Recent Book - James by Percival Everett

A great magic trick, like a great creative briefing, begins long before everyone gathers in a room.

To the general public, Mike Jacobson may be best known for his magic show performance on America’s Got Talent in 2023, but for the past decade in the business and advertising world, Mike has brought his unique methods to strategic briefings and creative campaigns for a wide range of clients, including Oreo, Subway, Comedy Central, Paramount, and other MTV Networks.

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Mike include:

• The surprising overlaps between magic, mentalism, and marketing
• How to take a simple card trick (and a creative briefing) to a level 10 engagement
• Mike’s terrible interview at 72andSunny and how he turned it around to get his first job in advertising
• The secret to priming your audience to be more receptive to your message
• How to get and hold people’s attention in an era of shrinking attention spans
• The importance of confidence and mystery in modern marketing

Show Notes:

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

Mike’s performance on America’s Got Talent

The Last Barf Bag - Dramamine

Steve Martin Documentary Trailer on Apple+

Sascha Mayer knows what it’s like to be invisible.

Like so many new moms nursing their children, if she wanted to nurse or pump when she was away from home, her options were often limited to a bathroom stall, an unattended room, or a parked car.

But it was around Labor Day weekend in 2006 that an article in the New York Times and a confluence of other events inspired a question that would change her life’s trajectory.

“Why are these women who are so visible to me so invisible to everyone else?”

That question - and the answers that followed - led Sascha and her co-founder Christine Dodson on a seven year journey to create Mamava, a revolutionary lactation pod for on-the-go moms (and dads) who need a clean, comfortable space for nursing, pumping, or bottle feeding.

From the first location in 2013 at the Burlington International Airport to more than 5,000 Mamava locations today, Sascha has channeled her bodacious optimism for mission-driven brands into the Mamava ecosystem, transforming a topic that was once invisible into something that is now highly visible, approachable, and welcoming.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• The process of coming up with a memorable name and provocative logo for Mamava
• Breaking down barriers and raising awareness around the topic of lactivism
• Finding key partners and “pollinators” to help carry the message and mission of Mamava
• Sascha’s favorite Mamava pod location and why it’s special to her
• The importance of expanding the Mamava ecosystem from physical pods to a user-friendly app
• The critical branding and ethnographic research lessons Sascha learned while working for Bernie Sanders and brands like Seventh Generation and Burton Snowboards

Show Notes:

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

Swehl Campaign in Times Square featuring Molly Baz

The Rehearsal - Trailer

Frida - The Motherload of Labor and Recovery Must Haves

The Bodacious Optimist Podcast

Heavyweight Podcast - Episode 24 - Jimmy and Mark