5 Minutes with… Greg Hahn
Adobe XD is a proud supporter of LBB. As part of the sponsorship of the ‘5 Minutes with…’ channel, we spend time with some of the most innovative and creative minds in the industry.
Minds such as those of Greg Hahn, who we’re thrilled to be chatting with today. Greg spent seven of his 14 years at BBDO New York as the agency’s CCO, before leaving to set up Mischief @ No Fixed Address because he “wanted to create a place where employees and clients could come and do the best work of their lives.” That was less than three years ago, and Mischief has already been named Agency of the Year by numerous industry publications. It has also been named in Fast Company’s top ten most innovative companies for the past two years.
The agency’s work for streaming platform Tubi managed to somewhat hijack this year’s Super Bowl with a trio of spots. One, 'Interface Interruption', had viewers hunting for TV remotes that had been accidentally sat on. Two others stood out from the crop with a bunch of delightfully spooky giant rabbits throwing people down a metaphorical rabbit hole of entertainment. 'Rabbit Holes' won the 2023 Super Clio, which the award show gives out to honour the year's most creative Super Bowl ad.
Greg spoke with LBB’s Addison Capper.
LBB> As the Super Bowl recently happened, let's start there. It really felt like Tubi was the brand that stood out from the pack this year. Why was it right for the brand to really double down with this trio of spots during the game?
Greg> I guess it comes down to a couple of questions. How many people were talking about Tubi before the Super Bowl? How many people are talking about them now? That was pretty much the goal. Get on people’s radars and get Tubi in the conversation.
LBB> There are two quite different ideas at play, with the prank spot first, followed up by both Rabbit Holes spots. Creatively, how did they all come under the same strategy? And in terms of media, what was the idea behind having them appear in the order and when they did?
Greg> They’re both built on a truth about Tubi’s content. It’s the kind of content you can’t pull yourself away from. With ‘Rabbit Holes’, we said that. With ‘Interface Interruption’, we demonstrated it in a disruptive way - as if someone in the room wanted to get back to Tubi content over the Super Bowl.
LBB> Now, onto Mischief. What is the biggest, most surprising or important lesson that you've learned since launching your own agency?
Greg> Wow, so much. It almost feels like a different industry. The biggest lesson might be, double-down on being yourself. We created Mischief as a brand. We know what we stand for and so do our clients. I think clients find that refreshing and it leads to strong, honest relationships. No pretence, less all kinds of tense.
LBB. You launched the agency just over two-and-a-half years ago. How has it evolved and grown since then? And in terms of growth, how have you found the challenge of managing that while still keeping your founding ethos intact?
Greg> It seems like a rocket ship. But it’s a very well-managed rocket ship. We’ve been diligent about remaining true to our core belief. Every client and every employee we bring on to our magical mystery tour can have a great effect on the work and the culture. So we’re very slow to hire and quick to say no to an opportunity that doesn’t feel right for us.
LBB> Is there a particular piece of work or moment while at Mischief that feels particularly important in its existence and evolution? Why?
Greg> Just recently, I think the Super Bowl was a big moment for us. Tubi is such a great, trusting client and it’s the world’s biggest stage. We were able to show the world the Mischief way and it paid off massively for the client. Which is our best measure of success.
LBB> How do you think about your role as a creative leader? How have you shaped a culture and environment in which creativity can flourish?
Greg> It’s kind of like being a music producer. If you’ve read Rick Rubin’s book you’ll find a lot of parallels. It’s throwing out bits of inspiration but also drawing the best out of your creatives - helping them get to a place that best expresses their thinking and creativity. [It’s] creating an environment where people are free to do the best work of their careers. That sounds lofty, but most often it just comes down to removing fear from the room. It comes down to one of our and No Fixed Address’ founding provocations: ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’.
LBB> Advertising has been adapting to the new challenges and opportunities wrought by technology for decades now and the industry seems to have absorbed those new things into its creative practice - just look at this surge of AI we’re seeing (which seems to be improving by the week). Does that represent a unique threat to creativity or will creatives adopt and adapt to it?
Greg> Every new technical advantage or emerging platform brings with it thousands of thought pieces about why it’s the end of advertising and creativity. I think creatives are often resistant at first. But also quick to adapt. Advertising creatives like to be the first to do something. So, that alone will drive some interesting experimentation and uses. What the newest tech is used for now will not be how it shows up in the most creative work.
LBB> 2023 is looking like it will be a challenging year economically - and during difficult times it may be understandable that people’s knee-jerk reaction might be to shy away from something they perceive as risky. What would you say to those people?
Greg> We started at the beginning of the pandemic. Arguably the worst economy and environment for advertising in many generations. We were able to thrive because we weren’t retrofitting a model to work in that economy. We’re built to be nimble, quick and not beholden to any holding company. It’s all in service of the work. I think that’s what clients are looking for when it comes to choosing a partner. As far as the work, clients can’t afford to be boring. We believe the riskiest thing you can do is be ignorable. And we’ve drawn a wide swath of clients that agree.
LBB> Outside of work, what do you like to get up to?
Greg> Sleep.
