What do Michelangelo, Charlie XCX, and a candy-loving Victorian man-child have in common? A bold artistic vision—and a lesson in trusting it.
In this episode of Ad-Venturous, Aves dives deep into one of the weirdest and most iconic ads of all time: the Starburst “Berries and Cream” commercial. From the origins of Little Lad to their 2021 TikTok resurgence, we unpack how performance art, absurdity, and brand trust collided to create a cultural phenomenon.
You’ll learn:
🎨 Why the best ads are built on big creative risks
📉 Why failure is part of the process (and why that’s good)
👩🎨 How brands can be containers for real artistry
⚠️ What AI can’t replicate—and why that matters now more than ever
We go from the Sistine Chapel to Starburst, from performance artists to KPIs. And it all makes sense in the end. Mostly.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 What Michelangelo’s creative process teaches us
06:00 The absurd genius of the Little Lad Starburst ads
12:00 Jack Ferver and the real story behind Little Lad
18:00 The case for weird, artist-led advertising
24:00 How to build a creative-first brand
28:00 Final advice: Make content worth looking at
Hashtags:
#AdCreative #MarketingPodcast #BrandStrategy #CreativeMarketing #AdvertisingInsights #PerformanceMarketing #DTCMarketing #StarburstAds #LittleLad #BerriesAndCream #CreativeStrategy #MarketingTips #AdBreakdown #TikTokMarketing #CulturalMarketing #AIvsCreativity #ViralAds #CampaignStrategy #PodcastForMarketers
Work with Pilothouse: https://www.pilothouse.co/get-in-touch?utm_source=dtc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=e&rPodcast
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DTCPodcast
Subscribe to DTC: https://www.directtoconsumer.co/
Listen to DTC Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast
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