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Rob Lewis of Good Conduct on How a Strong Work Ethic Trumps Natural Talent
No ad genius required
From automotive to CPG, beverages to pet food, men’s grooming to energy companies, Rob brings over two decades of brand-building expertise to his role as co-founder and ECD of Good Conduct. Previously, at Fact & Fiction, where he led creative for brands including Hershey’s, New Belgium Brewing, and Chili’s Sierra Nevada.
We spent two minutes with Rob to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Rob, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and now I live in Denver Colo.
How you first realized you were creative.
Being creative was always something I was interested in. My “When I grow up” answer wasn’t “fireman” or “pilot,” it was “cartoonist.” I was the kid drawing and doodling, interested in comic strips like The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes. I’d make doodles for kids in my classes, rather than pay attention to whatever I was supposed to be learning.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
I was working on a self-portrait in a drawing class. I kept working at it until I ruined the piece completely. While the project was ultimately a failure, the professor told me that the amount of time and effort I had put into it was what I should expect to put into anything if I wanted it to be good. From then on, I never expected anything to come easy, and always put in extra effort into everything I touched.
Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.
I’m inspired mostly by things outside of the ad industry: art, music, stories and movies. I’m interested in hearing how people think and approach their artistic process. I often listen to a podcast called Song Exploder that has musicians talk about how they developed their songs. I find it really applicable to what we do. Also, I recently bought a Will Rochfort print. He’s like a modern day Norman Rockwell. The compositions are great and his execution is incredible. And I started watching Fallout recently as well. I love a dark comedy, so it’s the type of show that makes me smile.
One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.
Our Lumin skincare campaign, “Mansplained for Men.” It was the first conceptual TV creative we made after launching our own agency, Good Conduct, in 2021. It landed with consumers and press. It has elements of truth and surprise that are mainstays in campaigns that make me jealous.
A recent project you’re proud of.
This past year we put out a pet food campaign for The Honest Kitchen. With everyone talking about how much they love their pets and the humanization of pets, it was a refreshing take to point out how terrible our pets can be. The concept was tight and the execution really sings.
Someone else’s work you admired lately.
Every time the current Goodyear commercial from BBH comes on TV I look up to watch. It’s not generally the type of work I like, or make. Maybe that’s why I like it. Or maybe because it’s set to such a banger of a Dre track. It’s a great branding piece that makes you want to watch, and makes me like a tire brand.
I also appreciated the recent Columbia campaign from Adam&Eve DDB. It’s not often an outwear company goes conceptual. It was brave to buck category conventions and it’s wildly entertaining. As an outdoor enthusiast myself, it made me think Columbia might be stepping up their product quality game to compete with Patagonia, Arc’teryx and The North Face. I saw a little hate for this campaign online, and I’m here to say that those the haters are 100 percent wrong.
Your main strength as a creative person.
I believe a strong work ethic beats natural talent 99 out of 100 times. If you put in the time to push past the first thoughts, and have the grit to craft your work all the way through the production process, it pays major dividends. No ad genius required. Just hard work.
Your biggest weakness.
I once had a creative director tell me that the hardest part of being a CD is letting go of the work and letting your team do it while you guide them. I ended up starting an agency where I don’t let go of it. Maybe that makes me a bad manager.
A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.
Cameron Day. He’s the son of the “Day” in Chiat Day. Cam has been a mentor, a cheerleader and a voice of reason, advice and inspiration. Kinda like my ad dad. I took a job at a less-than-ideal agency to work for him. I figured even if the agency didn’t pan, at least I’d have built a relationship with Cam. That’s a choice I’ve never regretted. He’s also an accomplished author with several great ad books under his belt you should check out.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.
I nearly switched my major to sculpture in college. I loved welding and forging metal. So maybe that? Or, I could definitely be a park ranger and wear one of those Smokey the Bear hats.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
