Megan Lally | CEO, Highdive | What Your Agency Wants to Tell You But Won't

Summary

CMO Confidential: Megan Lally | What Your Agency Wants to Tell You But Won't

Host: Mike Linton
Guest: Megan Lally, CEO, Highdive
Release Date: March 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of CMO Confidential, host Mike Linton sits down with Megan Lally, CEO and co-owner of the creative agency Highdive. The focal point is the candid, often unspoken, truths that agencies wish to convey to clients but rarely do. Together, they explore the evolving relationship between brands and agencies, the role of AI in creative marketing, how to achieve impactful brand work, and strategies for stronger partnerships and greater campaign effectiveness.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

AI’s Role in Brand Building vs. Creative Marketing

• Integration, Not Separation

  • Megan emphasizes that AI and creative work should be seen as partners, not competing priorities.
  • Quote:

    “Instead of separating them, like there’s AI and then there’s brand building, I think that we should consider how AI can help in building brands.” (03:14, Megan Lally)

• Example: Jeep Grand Cherokee Campaign

  • Highdive used AI to “save” an idea for a Jeep ad featuring realistic-talking animals—a concept previously cost-prohibitive with traditional CGI.
  • Quote:

    “That idea would have died because of the cost and time and instead AI saved that idea and it was building the brand. So they all go together.” (07:30, Megan Lally)

• Creative Isn’t Replaced, It’s Amplified

  • Megan warns against the narrative that AI will replace human creativity, advocating instead for AI as a tool to elevate creative ambition.

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The Cost vs. Investment Debate for Marketing

• Creative as a Business Multiplier

  • Strong creative work is linked with business results, but mediocre work becomes a cost, not an investment.
  • Quote:

    “When creative and marketing is done well, it’s a force multiplier for business…when we have creative that resonates with people and not just wins industry awards.” (08:54, Megan Lally)

• State Farm & Metrics that Matter

  • Megan shares how creative driven by genuine pop-culture relevance can boost brand rankings, referencing State Farm rising to #1 on Time’s 2025 World’s Best Brands list (based on consumer surveys, not industry insiders).
  • Quote:

    "State Farm was number one in 2025. They scored above Geico and Progressive, who significantly outspend State Farm." (10:45, Megan Lally)

• Tailoring Measurement

  • Measurement and ROI tracking must fit the product: Longer cycles (insurance, cars) require different metrics vs. quick-turn CPG items.

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Super Bowl Advertising: Who Should Play and Why

• High Impact for Mass Awareness

  • Brands looking for rapid, mass-scale awareness should consider Super Bowl ads. Megan cites MSC Cruises' US launch as a success case.
  • Quote:

    “If you need mass awareness of something in a short amount of time… it’s a pretty effective buy.” (12:35, Megan Lally)

• When to Skip the Super Bowl

  • Brands with no new news or needing only incremental growth may not benefit from the expense.

• B2B on the Super Bowl Stage

  • For B2B brands, Super Bowl buys are often about legitimacy and standing out, even if the audience is broader than the immediate buying universe.
  • Quote:

    “There is an element of, ‘whoa, they must really know what they’re doing’—legitimacy of a B2B brand running in the Super Bowl.” (14:22, Megan Lally)

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The Agency-Client Relationship

• The Myth and Reality of Collaboration

  • Many claim to value collaboration, but few agency–client relationships reach true trust and openness.

• Breaking Through Discomfort

  • High-performance partnerships depend on the willingness to have uncomfortable but necessary conversations.
  • Quote:

    “It’s uncomfortable to bring up something that you think you’re going to be rejected or met with disagreement... but that is what’s required to do the kind of great breakthrough work we need.” (17:09, Megan Lally)

• Radical Candor with Purpose

  • Delivering tough feedback must link back to brand goals, not just personal taste.
  • Quote:

    “Yes, there’s a kind of radical candor that I’m encouraging here, but it needs to be rooted in why is this important for the goals we are trying to reach together.” (19:38, Megan Lally)

• Chemistry and Choosing Clients

  • Highdive evaluates clients as much as clients evaluate agencies, using testy or uncomfortable work to suss out fit during pitches.
  • Megan advocates pushing for real conversations early for a strong foundation.
  • Quote:

    “We brought some work that we thought would make the room uncomfortable and we wanted to see how they would react.” (20:23, Megan Lally)

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Rethinking the Agency Pitch Process

• Skip the Dog-and-Pony Show

  • Traditional pitch processes are too theatrical and artificial; Megan urges CMOs to go beyond staged meetings and invest in a real project-based test.
  • Quote:

    “It’s kind of fake…you’re going to get…a bottled-up kind of theater approach to what the pitch is.” (23:25, Megan Lally)

  • References AI and recommendations as useful for initial agency searches.

• Search Consultants: Matchmaking Matters

  • Consultants excel when they facilitate authentic, real-working scenarios, not when they create artificial distance or process over substance.

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Actionable Tips for Marketers (Back Half of 2026)

• Find "The One Thing"
  • Amid complexity, marketers should focus messaging on a singular, memorable attribute or benefit.
  • Quote:

    “Is there a part of your marketing plan where you can really think about the one thing?” (26:23, Megan Lally)

  • Example: For Lays’ Super Bowl ad, despite many possible messages, they focused on “Made from real potatoes”.

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Questions Every CMO Should Ask Their Agency

1. “Tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.”
   • Encourages honest, constructive dialogue, even if uncomfortable.
2. “Are you doing your best work for us? If not, why not?”
   • Quarterly check-ins help identify and remove barriers to great work.
   • Quote:

     "If your agency isn’t telling you things that make you uncomfortable, I think you’ve got a cheering squad, not a strategic partner." (29:57, Megan Lally)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Cheesy First Impressions

  • Early Highdive–Jeep meeting: The pitch was delayed, so Megan’s team debated whether to splurge on good cheese to survive the wait. In the end, “the cheese agency” won Jeep for years to come.
    • Quote:

      "We went with the good cheese … sometimes we’re known as the cheese agency to our friends at Jeep. And obviously it worked." (31:55, Megan Lally)

• On Finding Comfort with Discomfort

  • “You want to know what everyone else is wearing so that you don’t stand out…but when it comes to advertising, we have to break through all of that.” (18:21, Megan Lally)

• On Multiple Messaging

  • “Consumers are not going to remember five things. They’re going to remember one thing.” (28:35, Megan Lally)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:10 | AI’s role in brand and creative marketing | | 06:08 | How AI “saved” a creative campaign for Jeep | | 08:48 | Creative as cost vs. investment; business impact | | 12:29 | The value and strategic fit of Super Bowl ads | | 14:13 | Should B2B brands advertise in the Super Bowl? | | 16:49 | Depth of real agency–client relationships | | 18:52 | Discomfort in honest feedback; breaking through the status quo | | 19:38 | Radical candor and linking feedback to business goals | | 23:25 | Why traditional pitch processes don’t work | | 25:51 | The role (and limits) of search consultants | | 26:23 | The “one thing” approach to messaging | | 28:54 | Questions CMOs should ask their agencies | | 31:42 | The cheese story from Highdive’s early days with Jeep |

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Practical Takeaways

• Use AI to amplify—not replace—creative insight.
• Track and publicly share business results of creative milestones—consumer perceptions can outpace media spend.
• Super Bowl (or any mass-awareness tactic) needs to fit the brand and objective, not just the ego.
• Build honest, uncomfortable, trust-driven agency-client relationships for better outcomes.
• Focus campaigns on “the one thing” that matters most to the consumer.
• Don’t settle for a “cheering squad”—demand and reward strategic partnership and truth from your agency.

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Recap

Megan Lally pulls back the curtain on the messy but rewarding work of agency-client collaboration, laying out a vision for more honest conversations, smarter use of AI, and campaigns that connect by saying less, but more memorably. Her practical examples and quick wit (including tales of cheese diplomacy) offer actionable wisdom for CMOs and agency leads alike.

Transcript

[Podcast Host / Announcer]

The CMO Confidential Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to CMO Confidential,

[Megan Lally]

the podcast that takes you inside the drama, decisions and choices that go with being the Head of marketing. Hosted by five time CMO Mike Linton

[Mike Linton]

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[Megan Lally]

Thanks for having me, Mike.

[Mike Linton]

Oh it's great to have you on the show. And I want to start we'll start large, which is everyone, including of course CMO Confidential has been talking about AI and it feels like the concepts of brand building and creative marketing have taken a backseat to AI and performance marketing and Big data and everything else. What's your thoughts on. On what I just said there and how people should be thinking about it?

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, Mike, I think there's two answers to that. And thank you, by the way, for talking about AI. I've been listening to a lot of the recent episodes, and it's super helpful to just hear different perspectives and what people are dealing with, because there's so much talk about doomsday scenarios of AI. And so I appreciate the practical applications that some of your other guests have shared. I think first and foremost, I would say instead of separating them, like there's AI and then there's brand building, I think that we should consider how AI can help in building brands. And so I'll give an example on that. So I don't necessarily think they need to be separate, and that's how we're reviewing that at High Dive. The other piece is just the fundamentals of brand building haven't changed. So one of the things that we see now is just, I think everyone's trying to do everything and strategy is fundamentally about decision making. So we're, I think, getting caught up in so many different options and so many different things we have to say to so many different people. And my request, I guess, would be, while we have some really fun tools to use with AI, how can we also help simplify to the things that we need to tell audiences that are going to actually move our brands forward?

[Mike Linton]

Hey, if I parse that, what I hear you saying is people are leaping over the strategy and some other things because there's so much execution and there's so much measurement in the execution. Is that right?

[Megan Lally]

I think so. I think there's also risk in making a decision and. And not not saying the 20 things that our product or service does at all times. So I think we're losing. Losing the plot a little bit and making things more complicated than they need to be.

[Mike Linton]

Okay, so what you're saying is there are a bunch of people putting creative in the backseat and strategy in the backseat with it because they're optimizing the interface. And I want to talk a little bit about now, what building on that, you said AI shouldn't replace creatives, and it isn't replacing creatives. It should amplify creatives. Tell us what you mean by this, how it works in practice, and then why so many people appear not to be doing it.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, so the example I want to talk about is Jeep is one of our clients. We've been working with them since we basically started high Dive. And we are, as you said, we're embracing AI in terms of saving ideas instead of, I think a lot of the narrative around AI, especially related to creative, has been that it's going to replace all humans and all creativity and we don't need it anymore. We're, we're far off from that.

[Mike Linton]

Before you go on, what do you mean by saving ideas?

[Megan Lally]

Oh, so, so here, let me tell you. So we were, we were charged with helping launch the new Jeep Grand Cherokee model. And as everybody, Jeep is an iconic brand known for adventure and you know, based on its capabilities of going off road, it's, it's one with nature in a way. So we had this idea for the new Jeep Grand Cherokee to have animals critiquing the vehicle. So they're showing off the, the three row. That was, you know, the three row seating and the headroom and the luxury, the luxurious interior. And so the idea was that animals were reviewing the vehicle because that is on brand for Jeep. It would have been. Well, unless anyone knows any talking animals, I don't.

[Mike Linton]

It would have been a real talking animal, but it was so expensive.

[Megan Lally]

So it would have been super, well, super impossible because animals don't talk. Duh. Also expensive and time consuming to do all of that in cg. So what we were able to do was, was use AI to have these animals that look super real. Talking about the Jeep, we developed this thing that we're calling Digit. It's based on deep learning infrastructure. I'd have to bring my super smart AI folks in terms of how it all works into the call. But we develop these models based off of any product that we're selling. So we have a digit of a Jeep basically where we can put it in all these different environments. So we've got a Jeep with animals in it talking to it. Squirrels are inside of it dancing to the music. A moose is inside of it talking about the headroom. So that idea would have died because of the cost and the time and instead AI saved that idea and it was, and it was building the brand. So they all go together. I don't, I don't think they need to be separate at all.

[Mike Linton]

Okay, I, and I fundamentally totally agree with you about this, but when, and we've done a bunch of shows on the power of brands, the empirical evidence of a brand in stock price and valuations of companies. Yeah. Yes. And yet so many companies out there still see all the marketing you just talked about as a cost versus an investment. What is that happen? Why is that happening and how much are marketers and agencies to blame for that happening because they focus solely on the creative and don't attach it to results.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, well, I think when creative and marketing is done well, it's a force multiplier for business. And like you said, there's empirical evidence on that. When we have creative that resonates with people and not just when industry awards, that's when it's really effective and it's an investment, it's not a cost. Unfortunately, there's a lot of work out there and creative out there that isn't so good. And I think that is when it's a cost. And so if you're not doing it well and you're by the way, not tracking the effectiveness of, of it, which there are different ways to track depending on what your objective is. But if you're not tracking the return on investment, it's difficult to make an argument for that. I wanted to talk about our work with State Farm. We did a Bateman Batman campaign last year that launched during March Madness. And one of the metrics that I love in terms of just penetrating pop culture and random people who don't even know that I worked on it come up to me and say it's some of their, their favorite work that didn't win anything at the fancy industry awards,

[Mike Linton]

but one which is shocking because at Con there's over a thousand awards.

[Megan Lally]

Yes, I know, I think we were robbed. But that's a different podcast. But one of the things that we can point to in terms of those kinds of campaigns over time lead us to seeing things like on Times 2025, world's best brands, which is based on consumer surveys. Okay, not, not fancy holding company company people in France judging, not, you know, whomever else writing a poll on top 10 stuff, but consumers who are the world's best brands based on consumers. State Farm was number one in 2025. They scored above Geico and Progressive, who significantly outspend State Farm. So those are the kinds of things, especially at a brand level where you have powerful, breakthrough, memorable, effective, creative, there's certainly other ways to measure that too. But looking at our. I just happen to love the personal anecdotes of people noticing it. Like real people, not advertising people. But also when you see those, those standings based on consumers of how they are seeing our brands, you know it's working. And I think that we can do a better job sharing that with some of our partners who aren't in the. At the marketing table so that we can help demonstrate the power of the return on investment when it's done.

[Mike Linton]

Well, I always use a lot of trackers and then would over time track consumer input to sales, you know, because the company doesn't care really that much about anything but sales, profits and maybe retention. So a good call out.

[Megan Lally]

And Mike, I think it depends on the product or service that you're selling too. You know, State Farm has a bit of a, it could have a bit of a longer lead time. A car, certainly a Jeep.

[Mike Linton]

Yeah. Because the purchase cycle is so long.

[Megan Lally]

Exactly. But something like Lays, which we, we did a Super bowl ad for this year and a Super Bowl.

[Mike Linton]

You have been great at getting all your clients in so far. I just.

[Megan Lally]

Oh, good.

[Mike Linton]

Well, you know, points so well.

[Megan Lally]

But that's a quicker purchase decision. Right. You can go to the grocery store today and pick up Lays, which everyone should.

[Mike Linton]

There we go. Breakthrough. Because we just talked about breakthrough and everything. You know, I would like to talk about the super bowl ads. I know you've done quite a few and. But I would really like your opinion on which brands really benefit the most from super bowl advertising and why.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah.

[Mike Linton]

And then which brands by definition then shouldn't be playing around in the Super Bowl? You know, just give us your thoughts.

[Megan Lally]

Right. I think the, the, the top answer in terms of when is Super Bowl a strategic tool in terms of that return on investment that we're talking about is if you need mass awareness of something in a short amount of time. So to reach, you know, over 100 million people on one day, if you look at it that way, it's a pretty effective buy. So last year as an example, we introduced MSC Cruises, which is a European cruise line to America. With the super bowl. It was a great immediate hit where suddenly awareness skyrocketed on msc. It actually the super bowl buy kind of crashed their site for a hot minute. This year we are continuing that campaign, but they didn't need the investment for super bowl because they had kind of hit that big mass awareness moment. So I think that's the number one reason is you want a quick awareness driver. I think if you're, if you're already well known, if you don't have new news, if you're not trying to change perception, grow a certain audience, get that mass reach all in one day. I think you should seriously question whether or not you need to make that kind of investment on the Super Bowl.

[Mike Linton]

How about a lot of the B2B companies doing this? Because we just talked about reach and now we're talking about reach for some products where the buying universe is much smaller than the audience. Tell us what's going on with the B2B players. Wins and losses in your head of which brand should be there.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, you know, I, I get a lot of cold emails. A lot of cold emails.

[Mike Linton]

Yeah.

[Megan Lally]

And I think that some B2B companies are using super bowl for an element of swagger and to stand out. I think the B2B2C marketing rules apply to B2B. So while they're not going to be speaking directly to everyone, there is an element of, whoa, they must really know what they're doing legitimacy of a B2B. A B2B brand running in the Super Bowl. So I, I'm assuming that that's kind. The play that they're, that they're using.

[Mike Linton]

It was great to watch the AI food fight going on. Super bowl definitely thought it was great.

[Megan Lally]

My parents had no idea what was going on with those, but, but I enjoy it. I, I especially really liked the Claude. The Claude ad.

[Mike Linton]

Yes. There we go. Hey, you know, we all know and, and no one will deny this, that relationships matter between the agency and the client. And we all know a good relationship has a much better opportunity to produce breakthrough work. But when you talk to people, there's an awful lot of people that don't have that relationship. And neither side is what I'm going to call truly happy about it. When you look at the biggest mistakes, trust busters that clients and agencies make with each other, what are they?

[Megan Lally]

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[Megan Lally]

Now back to our discussion with Megan Lally. Yeah, well, I think everyone talks about having a good relationship, but not everyone has.

[Mike Linton]

Yeah, look, everyone. There's no one that says I'm a terrible collaborator, I hate collaboration or I'm against it. You know, everyone thinks they're A good collaborator. Everyone thinks they have an open door policy. But tell me why there's so few real good relationships.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, I think. I think in practice it's just uncomfortable. You know, we're all working on different things. We're not always on the same room. We might see things a different way. And it is uncomfortable to bring up something that you think you're going to be rejected or met with disagreement or any of those things. And actually, those conversations are where healthy relationships are built. So. And that is what's required to back to the kind of. What are the bus. The bus related to that? Right. Those healthy relationships built with trust and openness and honesty and integrity of. I'm going to tell you something, even if it's not what you want to hear, but it's what you need to hear. That's what is required to do the kind of great breakthrough work that we need that proves that marketing is an investment and not a cost. So, Mike, have you ever been planning for a party and you ask somebody, like, what's everyone going to be wearing?

[Mike Linton]

Yeah.

[Megan Lally]

So you do that because all the time.

[Mike Linton]

Yeah.

[Megan Lally]

You want to get it right.

[Mike Linton]

I don't have anything in my closet.

[Megan Lally]

Right. But you want to know what everybody else is wearing so that you don't, like, stand out like a sore thumb. Right?

[Mike Linton]

Yes.

[Megan Lally]

But when it comes to advertising, we have to break through all of that. So. And it's. But it's uncomfortable. You want to know what everyone else is wearing. You want to know what the competitors are doing so that we, you know, it's not too risky. But to blend in with everyone from a marketing perspective, that's what makes it costly and not an investment. So I think there's just a lot of discomfort when it comes into practice of healthy relationships doing breakthrough work. I think it's easier to kind of try to keep things status quo.

[Mike Linton]

Hey. So all the clients say they want to hear the truth, but a lot of times if you tell them the truth, they can get pissed.

[Megan Lally]

What.

[Mike Linton]

What is? You know, and then they will say, I'm really sorry, I got pissed. I shouldn't have done that. Or if you tell the creatives, look, I don't think anything here is working. And they're like, did we love this one? This is like. And how do you get by that initial reaction to the truth when I say what you're wearing to the party really sucks.

[Megan Lally]

I think it's important to know where the intent is coming from. So it's, you know, the conversations that you're Having aren't just I don't like this, but I don't like this because of X or we're worried that this is gonna blend in with what everyone else is doing and then we're not gonna achieve the goals that we want to hit. So I think it's, yes, there's an open and there's a kind of radical candor that I'm encouraging here, but it needs to be rooted in why is this important for the goals that we are trying to reach together. And then you can agree to disagree and move on, but it's all in the service of the outcome.

[Mike Linton]

Hey, when you're, when you're on the side of the pitch, when you're pitching for the business, do you test out the client by asking a bunch of hard questions early in the process to get a feel for this?

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, I mean, when we get invited to a pitch, it's a two way street because there has to be chemistry there. I mean, we, we talk about healthy relationships and there's plenty of fish in the sea. Like we might high dive, might, might not be the agency for everybody. And so we are also evaluating the potential relationship. So we, whether it's questions or through case studies that we're bringing to a meeting, we're kind of testing out where there might be heat or resistance or contradictions, things like that. So we were in a meeting, I was just in a meeting yesterday where we brought some work that we thought would make the room uncomfortable and we wanted to see how they would react. And what was great is it led to a question of the CMO asking, wow, I'm assuming you guys, you really had to go on a limb for this work. How did you push your clients to get there? And I love that it brought that question instead of another reaction. Could have been, I don't get it, I hate it. Why did, why did you do that? We would never do anything like that. So how, when you get that, do

[Mike Linton]

you go around and back channel this after the meeting and say, hey, this isn't helpful, or do you just let it sit or is it really dependent on the players?

[Megan Lally]

I think, you know, everything is a case by case. But if we have a kind of a lukewarm initial chemistry creds meeting, it's like a first date with anyone, it's kind of, you both probably don't feel like it went well. So we had, we had a meeting like that maybe, I don't know, within the last six months. And it's hard too because everyone's in A conference room joining. You can't always see everybody's faces and everything like that. But we just got this feeling of, do they want to work with us? So I did pick up the phone and I called the CMO and I just said, why are we. Why are we still. Why are we still in this? Like, why are you inviting us to the next date? And he just started cracking up. And I thought that was so endearing. He's like, I had no idea that's how we were showing up. So, you know, I had to go out on a limb a little bit. And there that conversation could have gone a completely different way, but it really brought us closer together.

[Mike Linton]

But you would recommend everybody go out on the limb and give it a try versus let it sit.

[Megan Lally]

I think you don't want to have any regrets. Just put it out there.

[Mike Linton]

Since we're on the topic of pitches, one of your theories is clients should skip the pitch.

[Megan Lally]

Yes, please tell me why. So pitches are. I should say, pitches are fun. I like the kind of blue sky. What would we do with this new brand? There's a lot of excitement around it. It's competitive, so there's certainly something to that that many of us are drawn to. I don't think it's a good use of time and investment on behalf of the client or the agency. They're very time consuming. I mean, the amount of meetings and presentations that the brands have to sit in to sift through, then the reason, and I'm saying avoid a traditional pitch process because it's. In addition to it being long and expensive, it's kind of fake. You go in blind. We like to build campaigns with our clients. So when we get an assignment to develop a campaign and we go away and we work on it, we're coming to you with what we think is the, you know, the best. The best foot forward. But it's kind of only half the information. So it's this. It's this kind of fake, I guess, theater environment, and you're going to get. And then you're kind of picking based on that instead of what it's actually like to work together. So my recommendation on a better approach would be to find agencies through references or research. AI is awesome at this. Now, obviously, conduct some chemistry meetings and review relevant case studies for your business situation. So give them enough information to come back to you and say, hey, give me. Give me an example of where you've dealt with something like this before. And then if you like what you see, give them a project. Pay for it fairly and evaluate from there. But that's where you're actually going to get a test run of what it's like to work with an agency. Instead of a bottled up kind of theater approach to what the. What the pitch is.

[Mike Linton]

How about, you know, you have all these agency search consultants or agency search groups. Are those helpful or not really?

[Megan Lally]

I think it depends on who you're talking, who, who you're referencing. I think what the search consultants do very well is that they're looking for those matchmaking. They're matchmakers. They're looking for the right kind of agency for what the client needs. So I think they're very helpful in that regard where they're trying to find the perfect match. The ones that facilitate the most real life, you know, like real working scenario like I'm proposing are the ones that, that are the best because you're going to set that up for success. It's like an arranged marriage. The more time the couple's spending together, the better chances of success are. So we've worked with consultants who have done that. We've worked with consultants who kind of gatekeep the whole process. They keep the client and agency apart and everything is very mechanical. And I think that the chances of success there are lower.

[Mike Linton]

And really, at the end of the day, if you want, you don't want to hide the cultural connection.

[Megan Lally]

Not at all. And it's just, again, it goes back to. It's so foundational for us. We just believe you need that to make great work. To remove that from the process, I think is a mistake.

[Mike Linton]

Hey, so before we get to our traditional last question.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah.

[Mike Linton]

No matter how good your relationship is with your agency or your agency relationship is with your client, give our listeners one thing they should do in the back half of this year to make it better.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah. I would like to ask the marketers to think about your one thing. Back to the. There's AI and there's all these channels and there's all these customers. There's all these things that we want to say. But is there a part of your marketing plan where you can really think about the one thing? What's the one thing Thing like we're

[Mike Linton]

in City Slickers and it's just the one thing. That's probably a movie a little too old for a lot of people, but.

[Megan Lally]

Yeah, but just what's the. What's the one thing? Make a decision. Make some sacrifice. But if people aren't choosing your brand, why aren't they?

[Mike Linton]

And give me an example of one thing yes. So sanitize it or whatever you want.

[Megan Lally]

But so. Okay, so Lace, we just, we just had a great super bowl run with them a few days ago. And, and our one thing with the lay's spot, which for, for anyone who, who didn't see it was about, it was a story on a multi generational family farm because that's where lays are grown. And the, the farmer passed down the farm to his, his daughter who was also farming with him. And, and our one thing there was made from real potatoes. And lays could say so much stuff. They're always innovating. They have a ton of flavors. They have more flavors than any other.

[Mike Linton]

They do flavors. Yeah.

[Megan Lally]

There's so many different ways they can go. But for super bowl, we boiled it down to boiled. They're not boiled, but we boiled it down to made from real potatoes.

[Mike Linton]

And really glad you corrected that because I'm certain a ton of our listeners were thinking, I bet they're boiling those potatoes.

[Megan Lally]

Well, I will get a phone call from Lace. They're not boiled, but simple ingredients, fresh. All of that, all of that came out of the messaging. But we, we said our one thing is made from real potatoes. And that led to really great work. And so many, and, and so it's just the simplicity of it. And consumers are, they're seeing so many ads and so many messages and everybody's busy and all that stuff. You just gotta, you gotta pick the one thing.

[Mike Linton]

And there's so many brands that pick the four or five things. And I think that makes it really hard on creatives. Right.

[Megan Lally]

I just, it makes it hard on creatives, it makes it hard on the consumer. Consumers are not going to remember five things. They're going to remember one thing.

[Mike Linton]

Yes. So this brings us to our traditional last question, practical advice we haven't discussed yet. And, or funniest story you can share on the air. You can take both topics or one, but you must take at least one. So fire away.

[Megan Lally]

Okay, I'll take both because I wanted to encourage clients to ask their agencies. I guess in the, in the world of what is your agency not telling you? Ask them. Right. So here's a couple questions that I encourage marketers to ask their agencies and their teams. By the way, it doesn't have to just be your agency. It could be your team that's reporting into you. But two questions. The first is tell me what I need, need to hear, not what I want to hear. Get points of view from your team or your agency and loosen the, I guess, the ties to that like, they can be wrong, it can be wild. But so many people have really good thoughts being so close to your brand. Ask them what, what they need to what. What you need to be hearing, not what you want to hear. The second question is, are you doing your best work for us? And if not, why not? And again, find the right moment to, to ask your agency this or who you feel comfortable probably not in the big room. I would not ask that with an audience, but one of our clients asks me this quarterly and it is the best question for a CMO to ask their agency. Right. Because it's like, are you guys doing your best work for us? And if not, what can I do to help remove those barriers? And so this is all in the effort of. If your agency isn't telling you things that make you uncomfortable, I think you've got a cheering squad, not a strategic partner.

[Mike Linton]

Yeah, go get. Did you have another question you want to throw in there? Because I think you did at least two.

[Megan Lally]

I did too. I have two. Those are my two.

[Mike Linton]

Okay, those are two. Now we're to the funny story.

[Megan Lally]

Okay, now the funny story. So the funny story is way back when we were starting high dive there, it was basically me, Mark, Chad and Louie, our late partner. And we had a great opportunity to meet with Jeep, which everyone knows the end of the story because I said, we've been working with Jeep, but we, the meeting, our, our meeting time kept getting pushed back. And so we, you know, we had all just left big agencies, started high dive. We were not working with a lot of capital, but we wanted to bring a snack to the, the client team because it was, I mean, it was like six or seven o' clock at night by the time and we were supposed to meet at 4 or something. So we kind of had a big argument about how much we were spending on cheese. But we wanted the finest cheese. So you could tell the account side of us wanted the good cheese, you know, and then the, the frugal side of us was like, well, we, we don't want to overspend. What if this meeting doesn't go well? Yeah, but, but we, we went with the good cheese. And so sometimes we're known as the cheese agency to our friends at Jeep. And obviously it worked because we're, we're.

[Mike Linton]

Wait, I must know. What kind of cheese did you get?

[Megan Lally]

Oh my gosh, it was a fancy

[Mike Linton]

French cheese that we like or Camembert or something really big with crackers and stuff.

[Megan Lally]

You know, Shame on me for not being prepared with the name of the cheese, but it was from the cheese shout out to the cheese lady in the the Detroit area because that's where we went and everyone was very grateful for the cheese.

[Mike Linton]

All right, well, you know, this is the first time cheese has been referenced ever on the show. So thank you, Megan, and thanks to everyone for listening to CMO Confidential. New shows drop every Tuesday and you can find all of our more than 160 shows on Spotify, Apple and YouTube, which include. If you drop the best marketers of the 1950s into today's environment, how would they do? Why can can't Is AI an extinction event for agencies and the truth behind the curtain in B2B marketing? Hey, all you marketers, stay safe out there. This is Mike Linton signing off for CMO Confidential. When is the last time you researched something on a website? If you're like most people, I did that work for you. And that raises a question. If AI is doing the work, what is your website really for? This behavioral shift means AI bots are becoming your most important new visitors. A challenge our sponsor, Scrunch, is taking head on. Scrunch is the customer experience platform that helps you understand how AI agents experience your site, when and why they show up, and what's blocking them from being retrieved, trusted or recommended. Scrunch shows you the content and citation gaps and technical blockers and helps you fix them so your brand shows up when consumers start with AI because your most important site visitor might not be a human. For our listeners, Scrunch is providing a free website audit that uncovers how AI sees your site and how you're showing up in AI versus the competition. Run your site through [e-mail] CMO.