Despite the billions of dollars spent on advertising every year, most ads go completely unnoticed. In fact, 85% of them don’t even hit the minimum threshold for attention. So how do you make it into the 15% that actually break through?

John Gibson, Head of Strategy at The Martin Agency, has spent his career answering that question, helping brands fight invisibility by uncovering complex emotional truths.

For Papa John’s, that meant moving beyond “better ingredients” to tap into something far more powerful—people’s deep, almost cult-like devotion to pizza. For OREO, it meant elevating a product ritual in something more emotive and universal. And for Mountain Dew? It meant going deep into the world of sleep to see if creativity could be sparked in the subconscious mind.

Throughout our conversation, John shares stories about the strategic decisions that led to these aha moments, and how The Martin Agency’s culture of curiosity consistently fuels big ideas.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

The unexpected pizza rituals that inspired a fresh approach for Papa John’s
The story behind OREO Grams and the Lady Gaga partnership
How the challenger brand Unisom was able to “punch above their weight” in a crowded, competitive market
One of John’s favorite words and how it influences his approach to building great work
The advice John received early on in his career about creative briefs

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns that came up during our conversation.

Campaigns:

Oreo Wonderfilled

Oreo Wonderfulled Chinese New Year Campaign

Oreogram with Lady Gaga

Oreo + Coca-Cola Besties Campaign

Papa John’s Better Get You Some

Unisom Eagles Saquon Barkley Trolls Giants Owner John Mara

Heinz: Draw Ketchup Campaign

The Biggest Can Sometimes Be the Worst