Tim Malefyt has an amazing ability to make the familiar strange.

He does this by doing deep, ethnographic research, helping brands uncover hidden consumer truths through a combination of carefully constructed activities and thoughtful conversation.

As a business anthropologist, Tim’s research methodologies and key findings have helped re-energize a number of big name brands across multiple categories, including Campbell’s, Gillette, FedEx, HBO, Revlon, PepsiCo, Cadillac, Crayola, and New Balance.

For Tim, context is everything.

If you want to understand a person’s behavior, you have to talk to them in the right context. That means getting them out of the focus group room, putting away the interrogation pad of paper, and talking with people in the environment where the behavior in question naturally takes place.

Because as Tim puts it, “It is in the doing, in the action, that the ‘knowledge of the body’ starts to come through.”

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Tim include:

• Reframing Campbell’s “dinner dilemma” into something more creative and communal
• The surprisingly social nature of driving and the challenge that poses for self-driving cars
• Different metaphors one can use during interviews for more meaningful truths
• How to check for and overcome gender bias in research projects
• The way Tim’s experience as a ballet dancer has influenced his approach to research

Show Notes:

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

Tim’s favorite recent book: The Overstory by Richard Powers

Another great book: Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson

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+