With no shortage of talent in the marketing and advertising industry, it’s a wonder that we don’t produce more amazing creative work. For Caleb Goodman, COO and partner at Rethink — the 2024 Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year — the missing elements are emotional intelligence and human understanding. You see, Goodman believes that the people behind creative decisions are getting in their own way, carrying around baggage from negative past work experiences that sabotages their future endeavors. That’s why he and the Rethink team take a more personal approach to the client-agency relationship, focusing on getting to know their clients as people first and business collaborators second.

Caleb joined the On Scope podcast to share more about this unique approach, which has helped Rethink develop successful campaigns with clients like Kraft-Heinz, Coors Light, and Uber. Along with host Mike Berberich, Caleb discussed the most common emotional barriers he believes are blocking the path to stellar creative, why it is so hard for brands and agencies to break out of the status quo and build a more nurturing culture, and his agency’s Relationship Accelerator — a custom process they use to develop deeper interpersonal relationships that lead to stronger work.

On “Marketing News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a popular fashion brand’s decision to use an AI supermodel in one of its print ads, drawing mixed reactions from the public and harsh criticism from human models.

As the conversation with Caleb shows, behind every great campaign is a marketer who knows what to do and a team that makes it happen. Explore the ANA’s Talent and Marketing Organization Practice page to access resources, training, and insights that will help make you and your team stronger. Step up your skills by visiting www.ana.net/talent.

The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email us at onscope@ana.net.