A common cost-saving advertising practice of recycling footage from old commercials can lead to unforeseen creative disasters. In this case, CGI-ing a new conditioner product onto old hair footage resulted in a visual that was comically inappropriate and required a costly redo after a week of work.

True creative collaboration requires honest feedback, not sycophancy. The ultimate test of a potential collaborator is their willingness to give critical feedback when it's riskiest for them—like during a job interview. This signals they value the work's integrity over simply getting the job.

Receiving negative or controversial feedback on social media indicates your work is opinionated and differentiated enough to provoke a reaction. Rather than a failure, this is a sign of market impact and having a distinct point of view.

Critiques using words like 'beautiful' or 'ugly' are often perceived as moral judgments on one's identity. In contrast, using less-charged, functional words like 'boring' frames the feedback as an objective problem to be solved, making it more palatable and actionable for the recipient.

Tushy's growth and brand teams collaborate to ensure ads drive performance without damaging long-term brand equity. They moved away from certain high-performing creative after asking if it created the right 'memory structure' for an increasingly premium product, prioritizing long-term perception over short-term wins.

When a client offers harsh, fundamental criticism during a pitch, the best response is not to defend the work but to acknowledge the miss. One CEO won a pitch by immediately conceding the point and offering to re-pitch, demonstrating humility and confidence.

The "99% Invisible" team uses shorthand phrases like "CWGHF" (Can We Get Here Faster?). This coded language transforms potentially harsh criticism into a shared, objective problem to solve, depersonalizing feedback and protecting creative morale during intense group edits.

To prevent audience pushback against AI-generated ads, frame them as over-the-top, comedy-first productions similar to Super Bowl commercials. When people are laughing at the absurdity, they are less likely to criticize the technology or worry about its impact on creative jobs.

When entering new cultural territories like gaming or cosmetics, Chipotle's primary creative filter is 'Don't be lame.' This simple mandate forces the team to deeply understand the subculture and ensures their brand integrations feel authentic and add value, preventing cringe-worthy executions that could damage brand equity.