Jimmy Fallon's On Brand Doesn't Do Creative Professionals Any Favors

Some industry pros might find the approach insulting

At Gertrude, one of our core beliefs is that creativity can come from anywhere and everyone, regardless of title. Then I watched the Peacock show On Brand, hosted by Jimmy Fallon—and felt profoundly insulted.

They select a variety of contestants, who they call “agency creatives,” to produce fully integrated advertising campaigns for top brands in less than an hour. Most of the contestants have no experience in marketing whatsoever. But for the purposes of the show, all work as if they’re employed at an advertising agency—called On Brand—until they are unceremoniously eliminated from the competition week after week.

During each episode, the audience is given a look into their creative process, which is based primarily on their personal experience and taste. There is no data, no strategy, no performance indicators to guide the process and no time to think, iterate and be creative.

I take umbrage at this. Not because I am a cranky agency exec, but because of all the reality series that purport to show what it’s really like to be in a specific profession, this is the only one that doesn’t feature actual industry practitioners. Top Chef? All chefs. Project Runway? All designers. Blown Away even features real glass blowers.

These days, it’s bad enough that agency output gets brought into question because of advances in AI. Amid an industry-wide discussion where people are debating whether tech will replace copywriters, designers and art directors, shows like On Brand are not helpful.

AI is an incredible and exciting tool and driver of efficiency. But it cannot replicate the human capacity for connection and understanding that forms the foundation for successful ad campaigns.

If I were producing this show and wanted to retain a spirit of the competition and the skill level of the contestants—as well as showcase my belief that creativity can come from anywhere—I would introduce the role of coach or creative director to the format. This person would help the teams ideate and produce compelling pitch materials. It is important to show the rigor and craft involved in the process of crafting effective advertising.

There was a show on AMC years ago that some of you might remember called The Pitch. It was a more accurate depiction of the agency process than On Brand. In fact, one of the opening lines of the trailer talked about how the most important aspect of any pitch is the client brief. This is 100 percent true.

On Brand could benefit from having real client briefs. It should show the huge amount of work, across multiple disciplines, that goes into responding to that brief.

I love the idea of showcasing the world of advertising on a show that isn’t Mad Men. But this one is too far-fetched.

It is not the home run it could have been had it included agency professionals, real assignments and a realistic creative development process.