TWICM 217: Rich Silverstein Co-Founder of Goodby Silverstein & Partners on 40 Years in Advertising
29 Sept 2026 · 52 min
About this episode
On the day he retires from Goodby Silverstein & Partners, co-founder Rich Silverstein joins That’s What I Call Marketing to reflect on 40 years in advertising, the making of ‘Got Milk?’ and what makes an idea last. Rich takes us back to the early days of the agency, when a project for Electronic Arts helped turn a group of creatives who wanted to do things their own way into a business. We get into the thinking behind ‘Got Milk?’, the E*TRADE monkey ad and the lizards, and ask whether work made for a different media era could be even more powerful today. Rich is candid about the role of craft, humour and client confidence, as well as his concern that AI could make it easier to settle for work that is merely good enough.
In this episode, we cover:
– How Rich, Jeff Goodby and Andy Berlin started the agency, and what they took from their time with Hal Riney
– The simple truth behind ‘Got Milk?’ and how its words and distinctive look came together
– Why the best campaigns build a brand over time, rather than end with one commercial
– What it takes to sell an unusual idea when more people want a say in the work
– Rich’s mixed feelings about AI, and how he is using it to develop a musical
– Why he tells young creatives to study the world and the people in it
A useful listen for marketers interested in brand building, creative effectiveness, advertising craft, agency relationships and AI in marketing.
That’s What I Call Marketing is the podcast for marketers who care about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.
Follow the show for more conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, professors, authors, thinkers and practitioners.
Find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com
Timestamps
Thanks to Tracksuit for partnering with That’s What I Call Marketing. Find out more about its always-on brand tracking platform at https://www.gotracksuit.com.
That’s What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.
Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.
Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com
Connect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/
If you enjoy the show, please follow, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more marketers find the conversations.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chapters
- 00:00Rich Silverstein and 40 years in advertising
- 10:01Hal Riney, Electronic Arts and starting Goodby Silverstein & Partners
- 14:28Bringing design, journalism and craft together
- 15:25Why Rich skips most advertising
- 16:31AI and the danger of “good enough”
- 21:46What editorial design and Rolling Stone taught him
- 24:05Why great work should still hold up years later
- 24:26The story behind ‘Got Milk?’
- 26:00The E*TRADE monkey ad
- 28:37Creative constraints and the need for confident clients
- 30:36The lizards and building a brand over time
- 33:15Using humour to make an idea last
- 36:32Selling ambitious work and working with clients
- 37:39Research, planning and creative collaboration
- 40:37The ideas Rich loved but could not sell
- 41:5913 Days, his musical project, and using AI to make it
- 46:47Advice for creatives starting an agency today
- 49:19Why the ideas come faster, but selling them remains hard
- 51:51The advertising Rich still admires
- 52:46Mentors, observation and studying the world