The Co crew headed to SXSW this year not just to attend, but to get fully immersed. ECD Andrew Gall sat down for an on-camera interview with Robert Wheeler for ATM Media and joined ECD Vince Soliven for another with Dylan Conry's The Ad Podcast, while Vince Soliven took the stage at Converge @ Soho House Austin. All the while, our Super Producer/Austin agency alum Kate Chartier immersed us in the expansive local creative community through our dozens of sessions, countless conversations, and some memorable meals. Here are some takeaways we've been both living with and incorporating into our daily advertising lives at Co.
In this age of faster/cheaper/better/let's AI-everything, we're losing our friction. From marketing to how we work, the most meaningful interactions aren’t frictionless—they require effort, attention, even a little discomfort. And whether you're a marketer, a South Korean brain surgeon, or an Australian gym teacher (all people we spoke to), one thing was clear: from learning to relationships to storytelling, friction creates engagement. In turn, brands have an opportunity to design for participation and empathy rather than just efficiency.
Data is essential. That's a given at this point. That said, the most effective work still depends on human judgment, strong inputs, and creative instinct. A panel discussion from the Keep Calm & Flo On: Keeping an Enduring Icon Fresh & Funny session affirmed that, especially when it comes to a campaign with longevity in culture, metrics should inform decisions rather than dictate them. The difference between good and great often comes down to knowing when to follow the numbers and when to trust your gut.
A panel discussion titled How the Pop-Tarts Bowl Became the Biggest Name in CFB touched on something interesting about today's landscape: the fact that once an idea takes off, it evolves beyond the brand’s control. The most successful marketers are the ones willing to embrace that, letting audiences shape and remix the narrative. It requires comfort with experimentation, a willingness to take risks, and the discipline to not over-polish ideas into irrelevance. Another fun and related takeaway" the comments section on social is now content in itself.
This affirming takeaway (an ethos our creative team takes to heart daily) also came from the Pop-Tarts Bowl panel. Breakthrough ideas often start as something weird, unexpected, or even a little absurd. What makes them successful goes far beyond idea and deep into execution. A trophy with a mini toaster inside it, for example. In a crowded content landscape, craft is what makes people stop, feel, and remember. Hey, speaking of that…
Speaking of craft, a keynote from the CCO of the TBWA Media Arts Lab left us crying tears of creative joy. With more content than ever competing for attention, the “feel” of an idea is what sets it apart. Storytelling, design, pacing, and tone are the elements that create emotional resonance. And often, that comes down to instinct as much as process. Great work rewards attention and gives audiences a reason to care. Now, more than ever.
A session titled Humans or AI? What Buyers Prefer, According to Neuroscience revealed a stark but unsurprising fact: people report more stress receiving feedback from humans than from AI. This alone is obvious. What isn't? The fact that the resulting tension is incredibly valuable in countless ways. It signals care, investment, and connection. Growth—creative or otherwise—requires a degree of discomfort. We need to keep the dream of that discomfort alive.
Internet searches for “how to make friends” are at an all-time high. One in six people report feeling lonely. At the same time, a growing number of interactions—especially among younger audiences—are happening through AI. The question for brands–heck, the question for the whole of humanity at this point–isn’t just how to reach people, but how to genuinely connect with them on a real level. Because if we lose that, we become more like the robots we're so increasingly frightened of. As one prescient speaker observed: "we shouldn't worry about AI becoming more human. We should worry about ourselves becoming more like robots."
Andrew Gall co-leads Copacino Fujikado Advertising's creative department with a focus on emotional resonance and business results. From Mariners to Huggies, his work blends clarity, wit, and heart. A published author and host of the Copacino Fujikado podcast “How I F*cked Up,” Andrew is a creative mentor who builds trust to unlock brave ideas.
