Craig Allen, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at CALLEN and co-writer of Old Spice's "Smell Like a Man, Man," joins the Snarketing Podcast to talk agency life, AI in advertising, creators, and a mustard brand.
After five years at TBWA\Chiat\Day and a decade at Wieden+Kennedy, Craig went home to Austin and launched CALLEN, an independent agency and creative entrepreneurial lab that works for clients and builds its own brands. Dan Wieden told him to put his own name on the door. Accountability, apparently, works better than a clever name.
Craig tells co-hosts Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa how a three-day deadline and a single continuous take shaped one of the most quoted Super Bowl campaigns of the century, and why six months to overthink a spot can be its own trap. He explains the difference between getting bored and burning out, and why he feels most creative when he's terrified.
Then there's Bijan Mustardson, the gourmet mustard named for NFL running back Bijan Robinson. Craig shares what building a real consumer product taught a room full of ad people about distribution, retail, and the gap between a great idea and a real one.
The conversation also covers whether Cannes Lions awards still matter for independent agencies, how project work turns into long-term client relationships, why advertising needs to be fun again, how agencies and creators can work together without brands surrendering their voice, why clients now want proof that work isn't AI, and Craig's honest career advice for young creatives choosing between a big agency and a small shop.
Plus a lightning round featuring Old Spice vs. Bijan, Altoids, Skittles, and the most Texas thing about running CALLEN.
Hosted by Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa. For marketers, by marketers, with just a touch of snark.