Todd Miller
101 Great Minds on Music Brands and Behavior
Todd Miller, Chief Creative Director, The Cooler @ Experian
After joining Experian in 2016, Miller rebuilt its “creative services” department by attracting some of the nation’s top creative talent. With his team in place, he established The Cooler, now one of the best agencies – that just happens to be in-house – in the country.
Since then, his keen eye for aesthetics, paired with a strategic perspective, have helped catapult Experian's brand into the limelight – thanks, in large part, to the team's numerous award-winning campaigns spearheaded by Todd. Likewise, his passion for big ideas has helped transform Experian from being known as just a "credit bureau" into a world-class, consumer-facing, fintech brand that now helps millions of people take control of their financial lives.
With an overwhelming passion for his people and their freedom to push boundaries while infusing data-driven insights into storytelling, he's leading the team of The Cooler to set new benchmarks in brand awareness and response for Experian. At the same time, Todd's enthusiasm for great work continues to inspire The Cooler's creative trajectory to reach new heights based on one simple yet surprising premise: the freedom to fail.
“If you don't create a culture where failure is allowed – even encouraged – then the work is doomed to mediocrity”
— TODD MILLER, CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THE COOLER @ EXPERIAN
Uli Reese: What started your journey to where you are now?
Todd Miller: My entree into the creative world was music. My dad was a poor immigrant in Brooklyn, but he was also a piano prodigy. When he was 16 years old, he went to the Borscht Belt in the Catskills, lied about his age, and became a bandleader. But when he returned to his parents, who’d escaped Europe with their lives, and proclaimed, “I want to be a musician," they were like, “You’re so funny! Your choices are doctor, lawyer, dentist, or CPA.” That was all they knew. So, he became a lawyer. To be honest with you, my mother, who is now 88 years old, still asks if I want to go to law school!
Reese: What would your father have done with today’s creator economy?
Todd: He would’ve been all over it. He was bummed he had to give up on a lot of his dreams. But his disappointment led to support for my brother and me to pursue creative careers. My brother became a bit of a rock star. I went to NYU’s Tisch for film. Other first-generation parents would’ve said, “Screw that. Go be an engineer.” Today, though, you don't necessarily have to make that choice. You can create work in your bedroom and be a TikTok star. Shit. I got into advertising because I won an Absolut Vodka competition in a magazine. Then I just happened to go take a leak at the right time (let's leave that story for another discussion, okay?). Creativity is creativity, and there are now so many ways you can express it.
Reese: The digital revolution has kicked the doors wide open in that respect…
Todd: That’s for sure. I was lucky to have started in this business at RPA under Larry Postaer. He always taught us to begin with an idea, not just an execution. And a truly good idea works as a Superbowl spot, or garbage can wrap. With that training, going into digital was no big deal. My team is sick of me saying that Superbowl spot garbage can wrap things, but it's a true test of an idea.
Reese: How do you get your team to follow you?
Todd: By playing the fife. Seriously, I truly give a shit about them. I really like everyone on my team – a major benefit of starting The Cooler from scratch. I also enjoy helping others grow. I probably learned that from my mom's side; everyone was a teacher. It’s also my responsibility to make a place where great creatives want to come and stay. It’s about building a place where the idea transcends all and where your team feels your support, respect, and freedom to not only try new ideas but also to utterly screw them up.
If you don't create a culture where failure is allowed – even encouraged – then the work is doomed to mediocrity.
And mediocre work makes unhappy creatives. That sucks for everyone. You need to listen, too. And that includes your partners and clients. We have a responsibility to them: to balance both brand awareness and response. Our John Cena and Purple Cow campaign did that successfully. I’m wildly proud of how that created the proper blend. Let’s face it, without awareness and response, the whole endeavor will fall apart.
Reese: It's incredibly visual, but brands work with a brand book which isn't the same for Sonic. Brands fear they’re not showing up on all the new touchpoints. Do you have an answer?
Todd: There's been a fundamental failure in the development of marketing in the transition from analog to digital. When teams work on a broadcast, they have a barrage of support: directors, producers, PAs, everything. There are also budgets for music, even an entire orchestra, and enough time to produce it. However, when it comes to digital, everything is immediate and pretty much, produced completely in-house. Even with the introduction of integrated producers, we still don't get the time, support, and money for what have really become the most important channels to our target. I think that’s beginning to evolve, though. As the audience changes, we need better integration across all channels. And, getting back to your question, that includes music – any sound, actually. There should be a sonic connection across the brand—ads, posts, apps, sites, everywhere. You can’t accomplish that with a needle drop.
Reese: So, what’s the answer?
Todd: Commitment. It takes time and, yeah, money. When digital came in, all we could do was keep up with every new channel that showed up. I’d bet two new channels have been introduced since we started this conversation. We need to take time to fulfill the importance of integration. And that includes sound. Sonic integration should be part of any brand, whether it’s broadcast, digital, or even the “hold music” for the call center.
Reese: And expectations need to be managed.
Todd: Sure. That’s the trust part. You need to hire people you have faith in and let them do what they do. They'll do their best, then. But you still need the opportunity to try different things. You can't guarantee a panacea in this business. But you need to trust that you're getting the best you possibly can until next week. Then it'll get better.
Reese: To end, is there something that’s important for you to share with your fellow Creative Directors?
Todd: The two most important ingredients: your team and the idea. Have faith in it and those who bring it. Give them the time and freedom to do what they do. As the number of channels grows, trusting the idea is the only way to build a brand. It’s about so much more than a great script for a commercial, a great digital execution, or even a mission statement. Personally, the idea is where my passion lies. Nothing feels better than the moment you know your team has hit on something big. An idea that transcends. It lifts the brand and everything it touches, including all the people behind it.
Note: The interview took place in Los Angeles, California on the 6th of December 2022.
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