On Strategy Showcase

Episode: Live from Arnold in Boston: Brains, Grit and Brand Building
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Date: February 10, 2026

Overview

This live episode, recorded at the storied Arnold agency in Boston, assembles an all-star panel from both agency and client sides, many of whom share Arnold roots. The discussion delivers an insider’s view of Boston’s unique ad community—its history, what sets it apart, and how it has changed. The panel covers agency identity, strategic and creative relationships, the strengths and weaknesses of in-house vs. agency models, talent evolution, and what it really takes to create brave, lasting brand work. The tone is candid, witty, and warmly competitive—a honest look at building brands in a market that often “punches above its weight.”

Key Participants

• Fergus O’Carroll (Host)
• Sean McBride – Chief Creative Officer, Arnold
• Bri Rossetti – Chief Strategy Officer, Arnold
• Gail Felcher – Global Partnerships, Shark Ninja
• Travis Robertson – Co-founder & Executive Creative Director, Colossus
• Ross Sidlowski – Director of Strategy, LEGO Group

Main Themes and Segment Highlights

The Boston Market: Legacy & Camaraderie

[07:11–11:32]

• Panelists reflect on Boston’s tight-knit community, where major brands (Fidelity, Hasbro, LEGO, Shark Ninja) and agencies (Arnold, Colossus, Mullen, Hill Holliday) intermingle and foster lasting relationships.
• Bri Rossetti:

  “There’s a real camaraderie here and a lot of really big brands… The power and spirit of creativity is pretty consistent in this market.” (08:13)

• Discussion around agency legacies; panel laments the fading of icons like Mullen, while celebrating Boston’s unique creative “lineage.”
• Travis Robertson:

  “I think we invented American advertising.” (09:13)
  (Refers to the first U.S. ad in 1704 in a Boston newspaper.)

Boston’s Approach: Pragmatic, Smart, and Rooted

[11:32–14:41]

• Agencies are described as embracing a “smarter style,” deeply tied to strategy and client longevity, versus seeking fame for themselves.
• Sean McBride:

  “It’s an agency where we’re more comfortable with our clients being famous than us. …There’s long-termism in the relationship.” (11:59, 14:52)

• Boston agencies must balance “owning their Boston-ness” (not being just provincial) with competing nationally and globally.

What Makes Arnold Distinctive?

[14:41–15:41]

• Arnold’s ethos:

  “We make it safe for our clients to be brave.” (14:52, Sean McBride)

• Emphasizes rigor, long-term relationships, and delivering bold creative in a “safe environment” for clients.

Showcasing Famous Work

[15:41–17:32]

• Fergus plays quintessential Arnold creative, notably Progressive Insurance campaigns, and underscores Arnold's under-the-radar impact on national advertising.

Lessons from Arnold: Foundations of Great Brand Builders

[17:39–19:49]

• Gail Felcher:

  “Arnold is a warm, safe space where ideas can flow. …It was the foundation of everything I take with me today at Shark Ninja. I learned how to be a leader here.” (18:13)

• Importance of bravery, storytelling, and relationship-building not just for agency but also for client-side marketers.

The Value of Enduring Agency Culture

[23:02–24:31]

• Ross Sidlowski:

  “So much of agencies are the ecosystem of humanity… Arnold is a place that’s endured and done great work for a long time.” (23:06)

• The ideal: “Great Work Works”—everyone across departments is invested in creative excellence.

• Bri Rossetti:

  “We want to make good work. We don’t want to have good meetings.” (24:43)

Characteristics of Boston Creative

[25:26–28:39]

• Cites “When I Grow Up” for Monster.com (a Mullen classic) as epitomizing the city’s “breakthrough, original thinking and excellent execution.”
• Travis Robertson:

  “Boston is incredibly clever…I think the writing in this city is clever and smart and funny.” (28:39)

• The city’s agency world is described as “incestuous” but ultimately “feeds itself,” emphasizing intelligence and wit over fleeting trends.

Founding Colossus & Agency/Market Evolution

[29:30–30:41]

• Travis Robertson:

  “We champion the business of creativity... we’re not doing things just to be funny or just to be colorful, we’re doing it with an insight and a business truth in mind.” (29:40)

• Remembers now-defunct Boston agencies (Modernista, Barbarian) as sources of inspiration.

Agency “Shrinkage” & Talent Development

[30:41–37:02]

• Dwindling agency numbers are seen as an industry-wide problem, hurting talent development and marketplace vibrancy.
• Sean McBride:

  “The lead time for someone to get it is next to zero now...What we look for is people who are ready to make things right away.” (31:36–32:04)

• Discussion on increasing demands for versatility (“hyphenates”) and speed; panel questions whether academia is keeping up.

In-House vs. Agency: The Debate

[37:02–47:50]

• The rise of internal agencies (Shark Ninja, LEGO, Staples, Liberty Mutual)—is it better?
  • Gail Felcher:

    “There is an unlock of storytelling that happens at that product development stage… you’re pulling things from everyone.” (37:29, 39:55)

  • Ross Sidlowski:

    “There are advantages…Our product development and marketing actually sit in the same group…We have deep data and can move quickly.” (43:07)

  • Bri Rossetti:

    “There’s a different dynamic when you work for the same company than your outside perspective… That outside thinking is really important.” (44:37)

  • Travis Robertson:

    “I think the quality of in-house work has changed dramatically in the last decade… there are really talented people in-house building interesting things.” (46:57)

• Pros: alignment, speed, deeper knowledge, risk-taking.
• Cons: risk of insularity—external agencies inject fresh perspective and constructive dissent.

Creative and Strategy: Changing Relationship

[48:00–55:52]

• No longer linear—creative and strategy roles are intertwined and collaborative.
• Bri Rossetti:

  “It used to be sequential…now it’s all fucked up in the worst ways and the best ways.” (48:00)

• Modern demands: faster pivots, less time for sequential handoffs, need for flexibility to “meet in the mess.”
• Sean McBride:

  “We’re trying to map and create a process for ideas and ideas are not that dissectible…The idea is all of them at once, inseparable.” (51:23)

• Best work comes when creative sparks can come from anywhere—sometimes the “strategy is the product,” sometimes the big idea comes as a creative flash.
• Travis Robertson:

  “Sometimes the strategy is the product more than the creative…The best work happens when those things are married, but it really is art and less science.” (53:41)

• Maintaining enduring platforms (“keeping it fresh”) is harder than starting anew but critical for lasting brands.

Development of Iconic Work: Progressive’s Journey

[55:52–58:42]

• Sean McBride:

  “When I took this job at Arnold, I always wanted to work at Arnold. They offered me a job on an account…and I hadn’t heard of it and I had to look it up. It was Progressive Insurance.” (56:18)

• Progressive’s rapid creative ascent was rooted in a foundationally strong business that “finally started marketing itself like a grown up.”
• Arnold was in the right place at the right time: “All the infrastructure was there, and the last thing they needed was marketing.” (56:18)

The Round Table: Less Of & More Of

[59:19–64:40]

• Each panelist offers “less of, more of” for the industry:

  • Travis Robertson:

    “More listening…Sometimes we don’t listen to our clients…the answer is often there for the taking.” (59:19)
    “Invert presentations: often the extension idea is the idea supported by TV.” (59:19)

  • Bri Rossetti:

    “Be more reductive and assertive—make more choices.” (60:18)
    “Step back and let other people do things—they’ll often do it better than you. Get out of the way more often.” (60:44–61:24)

  • Gail Felcher:

    “Do more of reacting at the speed of culture. But be less reactive in a thoughtless way—be strategically reactive.” (61:26)

  • Ross Sidlowski:

    “Stop worrying about AI so much…It’s a tool…great writing will always be great writing.” (61:53)
    “Do more weird things. Take risks. Get a little more weird with the work.” (61:53)

  • Sean McBride:

    “Less self-important, overly complicated shit…Meet people where they are. Make simpler, more fun, more impactful shit.” (63:00, 62:57)
    “We elevate the stakes so much that nothing can live up to it…We need to make simple things that find you where you are and connect with you.” (63:00–64:40)

Notable Quotes

• “We want to make good work. We don’t want to have good meetings.”
  — Bri Rossetti (24:43)

• “It’s an agency where we’re more comfortable with our clients being famous than us.”
  — Sean McBride (11:59)

• “I think we invented American advertising.”
  — Travis Robertson (09:13)

• “If you unlock a consumer truth, you can tell that story in a very relevant, meaningful way.”
  — Gail Felcher (27:03)

• “The best work happens when those things [strategy and creative] are married, but it really is art and less science.”
  — Travis Robertson (53:41)

• “We make a lot of self important, overly complicated shit...I wish we could figure out how to make work that meets people where it actually lives in their lives.”
  — Sean McBride (63:00)

Takeaways for Brand Builders & Marketers

• Boston’s ad scene is intimate and nurturing, with a legacy of wit, rigor, and craftsmanship.
• Agency identity and locality are powerful assets when properly harnessed—don’t dilute for scale.
• Blurring the lines between client, in-house, and agency roles can create bolder, more informed creative, but outside perspective is still vital.
• Successful strategy-creative partnerships are non-linear, collaborative, and adaptable.
• Building brands is about making brave work in a safe environment—invest in the relationships, not just the final output.
• Amid AI and rapid change, the call is for less overcomplication, more fun, more risk, and staying grounded in the audience’s reality.

For further insight and stories behind Boston’s campaigns and agency evolution, listen to the full episode.