Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast

A rundown of Instacart’s Spike Jonze-directed Super Bowl spot and its retro choreography and production choices. Coverage of Crocs’ new global 'Wonderfully Unordinary' platform with mannequin dancers in São Paulo. News about Doner and Colle McVoy joining forces as DonerColle Partners, their shared media offering, AI roadmap, and Midwest challenger positioning.

Kristen Cavallo, veteran advertising executive and former CEO turned Executive Director of the Branch Museum of Design. She describes walking 400 miles on the Camino to reset. She explains rebranding a museum, applying agency lessons to institutional identity, and why advertising still matters amid industry change. She reflects on consolidation, creativity beyond agencies, and opportunities in turbulent times.

USPS launches a broad agency review focused on creative, media and AI-driven production for thousands of retail locations. TikTok becomes American-controlled with new leadership, altered governance and plans to retrain its algorithm on U.S. data. Hellmann’s teases a Super Bowl spot with a cheeky 15-second 'Meal Diamond' clip set to Sweet Caroline.

Super Bowl advertisers, an agency shakeup, and new Olympic creative drive today’s headlines.Follow Breaking and Entering Advertising on Instagram for more ad news: Instagram herehttps://www.instagram.com/breakingandenteringmedia?igsh=cWUyOTU3NGlwdDAw

In this combo episode, we sit down with Barry Dan and Danny Weisman, co-founders of Obsessed Media, to unpack what’s actually broken in modern media buying. From trivia-fueled debates on CPMs and upfronts to a deep dive on principal-based buying, transparency, and why so many brands are over-investing in the wrong channels, this conversation pulls back the curtain on how media really works today. Barry and Danny share why context matters more than hyper-targeting, how challenger brands can escape being “imprisoned by the algorithm,” and what it takes to build a modern media agency built around trust, attention, and impact.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠   / ⁠  📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437...✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substa...📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.c...🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

Ben Levy is the presentation coach of the ad industry and the person agencies call when they want their ideas to actually land in the room. In this episode, Ben breaks down why most decks are working against you, how to stop killing your own ideas with overbuilt slides, and the simple framework he uses to make presentations clearer, tighter, and more persuasive. He also shares his unconventional path into advertising, what today’s creatives should really focus on when trying to break in, and why learning to present early can completely change your career trajectory. If you have ever sat through a painful pitch or felt your best idea fall flat, this episode is for you.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

This quarter’s Blue Crowbar episode brings together future creatives and one of the most respected leaders in advertising. Fallon CEO, Nikki Baker joins the show to judge the winning campaign from Marisa Brown and Megan Sharpe, two juniors at Marist University who took home Best in Show for their holiday brief for Dollar Tree.The conversation breaks down their insight-driven campaign built around surviving chaotic family holidays, from out-of-home and social to a fully gamified digital experience and a modern twist on the holiday catalog. Nikki shares what made the work stand out, how she would push it further in a real agency setting, and what young creatives should focus on as they prepare to break into the industry.It is a masterclass in turning human truths into a fully realized campaign, plus an inside look at how real creative leaders evaluate student work at the highest level.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

This episode was produced in partnership with GSD&MMore from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

Today, Breaking and Entering heads to CALLEN to explore how one of Austin’s fastest growing agencies is redefining what modern brand building looks like. The team breaks down why clarity beats clutter, how CALLEN blends data with instinct, and what it takes to build work that actually drives growth. From challenger brands to category leaders, this episode is a look at an agency focused on results, not noise.This episode was produced in partnership with CALLEN. More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

This week, Breaking and Entering steps inside Preacher’s Austin headquarters to explore an agency built on belief, hospitality, and a deep connection to its creative community. Co founders Krystle Loyland and Rob Baird unpack how Austin’s generosity, maker culture, and collaborative spirit shaped the way Preacher works, hires, and builds brands. From in house galleries to intentional client experiences, this episode is a look at what happens when an agency decides it is cool to careThis episode was produced in partnership with Preacher. More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠