Mike Bell

Background

About Mike Bell

I manage smart teams without dictating creative. I’m a working creative director with a role-up-your-sleeves attitude that gets things done. I have experience in many categories including: consumer, B2B, B2C, CPG, healthcare, education, retail, technology. I thrive in the new business process, then focus on the simplest, most elegant result and guide the client through the strategic direction and work. I strive to understand a client’s business through research and client discussions, also noting what’s going unsaid. Discovering insights and connecting seemingly unrelated thoughts is how simple, effective ideas surface. Example: the Ohio Lottery Mega Millions campaign. Research showed that people wait until a jackpot hits $80 million before jumping in. I dug through the research and found some would play for the lower jackpots … if they knew they were out there. The strategy? Go to bars, restaurants, convenience stores; get on their TV and phones and PC’s: reach them all day long with one thought “What are you waiting for?” It was the winning strategy; sales soared nearly 40% in the program’s first year. It worked because it was a simple creative approach that worked across all media. That’s what I’m always looking for: the simplest answer. Less is just right. I’ve learned that elegance is simplicity taken to extremes. So when I create or review work, I’m looking for the idea that works everywhere – then I strip away the extraneous. It’s like preparing for space flight; there are all kinds of “nice to haves” you want to take, but every ounce can mean the difference between a successful flight and running out of fuel on the way home. Ultimately, coming up with genuinely creative and innovative ideas is the essence of what I bring to my work. Specialties: developing new business, managing creatives, brand and marketing strategy, conceptualizing, presenting, and executing the work