The Old Spice Genius Who Wrote a Skittles Spot About Murder - Craig Allen, CALLEN

Craig Allen wrote the Skittles spot where a man accidentally murders his family with rainbow candy. He helped make the Old Spice response campaign ; 286 videos in 36 hours, one every 7 minutes, until they broke YouTube. Then he left Wieden+Kennedy, asked Dan Wieden what to call his new agency, and got told every name was stupid.This week on Second Wind, the founder and CCO of CALLEN sits down with Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch to talk about how to sell ideas that scare clients to death.Inside the episode:- Why the best risky ideas are “stupid smart” — and how to make a CMO feel dumb for not buying them- The real story behind the Skittles Touch shoot: explosives, cops, a $$$$ glass desk filled with hundreds of thousands of real Skittles, and one PA running through the shot- How a six-person writers’ room turned Old Spice into the fastest creative operation in advertising history- Why Dan Wieden made him put his own name on the agency (and why it changed how he works)- The case for fun as a strategic weapon, not a vibe- What independent agencies have to do now that the holding cos have stopped pretending to care about creativityCraig has won two Cannes Grand Prix, the Grand Effie, Best in Show at The One Show, two black D&AD pencils, an Emmy, and was once named one of the 50 sexiest creatives in the world by Creativity Magazine. We do not let him forget it.Second Wind is a Webby Honoree podcast at the intersection of creativity, leadership, and advertising. Hosted by Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch of AKA. New episodes fortnightly.Leave a review if it landed.