One time, a client in the wellness space looked me dead in the eye during a strategy meeting and said, completely serious: “Forget data, forget targeting. I want the entire campaign to feature my golden retriever wearing sunglasses, barking testimonials in voiceover. People trust dogs more than humans.”
He was convinced it would “disrupt the industry” and make us go viral overnight. No budget for animation, no script, just “let the dog cook.” We gently pivoted to user-generated content with real customers instead. The dog idea never saw daylight, but I still laugh about it years later. Clients, man… they keep it interesting.