Transforming Olipop into a $2B Brand using The Happiness Advantage with Mark Lester from Squint
What do David Bowie lyrics, childhood memories of soda, and gut health all have in common? For Mark Lester, co-founder of the brand consultancy Squint, they’re part of a deeper exploration into how happiness shapes behavior and how brands can use that insight to grow.Prior to starting squint, Mark spent 15 years in the advertising industry, sharing his talents with R/GA, McGarryBowen and Dentsu, working a wide variety of brands, including Samsung, Diageo, and Equinox, just to name a few.In this episode, Mark shares how Squint’s “Happiness Advantage” approach to brand-building helped turn Olipop into a nearly $2 billion soda brand by leaning into emotional associations, not functional claims. We also discuss GenZ’s fraying relationship with sport and how an activation at the Olympics was able to help Nike reconnect with a younger generation. Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:Why great brands are built on memories, not just messagesHow a hike in the Hollywood Hills with Olipop’s founder led Mark to some powerful aha moments about himself and the brandThe consumer research findings that made “soda” a more powerful word than “tonic”The evolving nature of competitive sports and the opportunity to be part of the growing movement around collaborative sportsHow being an au pair in France during his gap year after college taught him some valuable life lessonsMark’s secret to happiness, both personally and professionallyShow Notes:Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.Books:The Remains of the Day by Kazuo IshiguroNever Let me Go by Kazuo IshiguroCampaigns:Dude Wipes: The Evolution of WipingBrands:Nandos (UK Peri Peri Chicken Restaurant Chain)Podcasts:Going Cowboy and Being Bluntly Honest With Gordy Sang & Brian Siedband at Quality Meats Creative
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The Surprising Overlaps Between Toy Design and Brand Design with Assaf Eshet, Founder of Clixo Toys
What are the key characteristics of designing a great toy? It turns out, it’s many of the same characteristics that go into building a great brand.Playfulness. Imagination. A little bit of mischief. And joy.In this episode, I talk with Assaf Eshet, founder and award-winning toy designer at Clixo Toys.I met Assaf at the ISTE EdTech conference in San Antonio this summer and I was immediately drawn to the flexible, colorful shapes of Clixo and all the different things you could build with them - robots, animals, vehicles, wearables - you name it.And when Assaf started telling me about the philosophy behind Clixo - how they blend the best of origami with the best of magnetic building toys - I knew he needed to be a guest on the show. Because he definitely sees the world in a different way compared to most.I’m glad I met him when I did because since our chance encounter in San Antonio, Clixo has been getting attention just about everywhere. In the past few months Clixo launched nationally in Target, had a huge activation at the MoMA, and was just named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2025.In this episode, Assaf and I talk about the principles of great toy design, and how his teaching philosophy helps students embrace failure and experimentation, which are prerequisites for coming up with even better ideas. We also explore the psychology of play and the secret to living as a joyful creature. Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:One of Assaf’s favorite design assignments that he gives to his students each semesterWhy good toy design (like good branding) requires constant testing “in the wild”What his grandmother’s hand-sewn Barbie clothing collection taught him about resourcefulness and innovationHow Italian cinema and Roberto Benigni shaped his outlook on creativityThe importance of becoming a collector (for whatever you’re passionate about) Show Notes:Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.Books:When Nietzsche Wept: A Novel of Obsession by Irvin D. YalomProducts:Chomshop: A Kid-Safe Power Tool for Cutting CardboardSpeeches:Roberto Benigni Oscar Speech for Life is Beautiful
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How Comedy and Cultural Sparks Drive Creativity with Tara Lawall at Rethink
Tara Lawall has worked at some of the biggest agencies in the world, earned a Cannes Titanium Lion, and her work has even landed a spot in MoMA’s permanent collection, but her sharpest insights might trace back to a comedy class she took at Miami Ad School.Today, Tara is Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Rethink’s New York office, and in this interview, Tara shares how her team uncovers powerful truths hidden in everyday behavior — something they call cultural sparks at Rethink — and how those truths have led to some of the industry’s most buzzworthy campaigns.Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:The unique “trauma therapy” process Rethink uses to build client relationships that leads to more effective workSome aha moments around a spicy but not too spicy Doritos campaign with Walton GogginsThe creative challenges of finding the perfect soundtrack for different street corners in LA, London, and New York with Epidemic SoundThe brand love campaign Rethink developed for Mac n’ CheeseThe Philly slang term that works in literally any sentenceImportant life lessons Tara learned growing up in her dad’s delicatessen and pastry shop Show Notes:Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.Books:Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth GilbertA Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick RubinAbundance by Ezra KleinCampaigns:Doritos: A Spicy but Not Too Spicy PlumberEpidemic Sound: A Sound for Every FeelingHeineken Pub Succession
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Building Social-First Brands with Jason Mitchell, CEO of Movement
When Jason Mitchell realized his college professors were still teaching TV-first strategies while every student in the room was glued to Facebook, he saw an opportunity. That opportunity was the beginning of Movement, a social-first agency that has done award-winning work for brands like the NBA, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more.In this episode, Jason shares the early bets and strategic philosophies that have helped Movement grow from a dorm-room idea into one of the most recognized social-first agencies in the industry. We explore what it means to put social at the center of a campaign rather than treat it as an add-on, and why the best ideas often begin with strategic social listening.Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:How Jason found his way into the journalism and advertising program at University of Colorado despite having terrible gradesHow social listening led to a viral campaign (and a real arrest) for Netflix’s Unsolved MysteriesWhy Klarna’s biggest brand barrier in the U.S. wasn’t competition, but disbelief over their core value propJason’s secrets for setting up a great social listening systemHow Jason would rebrand the movie-going experience to help people rekindle their love of cinema in an era of social mediaShow Notes:Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.Books:Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet Campaigns & Videos:Klarna: What’s the Catch Campaign with Bretman RockSo Many Dicks Campaign Case Study - e.l.f. BeautyUnsolved Mysteries Shorty Awards Case Study
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Making Boring Briefs Better with Ashley Rutstein, Copywriter, Influencer, and Creator of Stuff About Advertising
How do you help strategists transform boring briefs into better briefs so that creatives can do what they do best?That’s just one of many questions I ask Ashley Rutstein during our interview.Ashley is a copywriter-creative director, an Adweek Creative 100, and the founder of Stuff About Advertising - a multiplatform channel with hundreds of thousands of followers, where Ashley covers a wide range of topics, including insights, effective brainstorming techniques, and brilliant movie marketing activations.I first discovered Ashley because of her Weekly Advertising Roundup videos, where she highlights and dissects advertising wins and fails from the week in advertising. She’s been doing these roundups every week (or almost every week) for the past four years, so I thought it would interesting to learn what patterns she’s discovered about great (and bad) advertising, and how it has helped her with her own creative work. Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:The awkward middle school moment that led to Ashley’s fascination with blind spots The insight that led to a refreshingly honest addiction recovery campaignHow Ashley and her team helped Zespri yellow kiwis get more attention in the USThe Discover Card commercial that has made Ashley consider getting a tattooThe methods and questions behind her “unhinged concept” videos for brands like Crocs and PoppiAshley’s advice for brands who are trying to gain more traction on TikTok and YouTubeShow Notes:Below are links to inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.Books:Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosThe Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson Videos:Unhinged Concepts: Ideas for PoppiDr. Barlow: Intro to African American StudiesSinners TrailerCampaigns:Face it Together (Addiction Recovery Center): Day OneDr. Barlow: Netflix Black History MonthDiscover Card: Frog ProtectionSurreal Cereal: Fake Celebrity
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