Advertising and creativity and the line where they converge is definitely an interesting top and for the creative-inclined that tend to find themselves with MasterClass subscriptions, it is a way to more quickly and easily make money while being creative. However, as someone who has a degree and has worked in advertising, I do like to take all that is said with a grain of salt. I got to watch this as someone with experience in the field while trying to view it as someone who knows little to nothing about advertising.
As a MasterClass, I think it’s a pretty decent look at what advertising is and what you can expect from a traditional agency. (There are a lot of small shops and other jobs in advertising and the larger umbrella of marketing.) Overall, Gooby and Silverstein are interesting to watch and incredibly knowledgeable on campaigns. I’m trying to look at this without the jaded mindset of someone who has worked beyond the gilded walls of advertising.
Who Are Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein
Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein are advertising executives with plenty of combined years in the industry.
Jeff Goodby is a co-founder and co-chair of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. He is a director and illustrator as well. He has experience as an art director at McCann, Ogilvy, and other big names in advertising.
Rich Silverstein is the co-founder of Gooby, Silverstein & Partners. He graduated from Parsons School of Design and was an art director for part of his career.
Their agency is California-based and known for working with major brands like Nike and Budweiser.
What Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein’s MasterClass Covers
Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein’s MasterClass centers on working in advertising and working with visual and written mediums. You’ll learn about pitching and how campaigns are structured. They even cover some of their campaigns and what worked and didn’t work in advertising history.
Class Length
This MasterClass is 18 lessons long and runs for 2 hours and 25 minutes. This is a regular-sized class for MasterClass and can be completed in a single afternoon. Or you can spread it out over a few days and truly immerse yourself in the content.
Lesson List
This MasterClass is comprised of 18 lessons. You’ll find the following lesson topics in the course:
- Meet Your Instructors: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein
- Who We Are & How We Got Here
- Make Something Out of Nothing
- Got milk?
- How to Make Advertising That Lives in Culture: Three Ways to Engage
- Working with Brands
- Goodby’s Rules for Creative Vandalism
- How to Tell a Story in 30 Seconds
- On Craft: Writing, Design, and Giving Direction
- Is It Funny Enough?
- It’s Great, but They’ll Never Buy It: Selling a Crazy Idea
- Anatomy of a Campaign
- The Super Bowl
- Advertising Is Everything… and Everything Is Advertising
- Bringing Humanity to the Corporate World
- Giving Back
- New Business: The Machine at Maximum Speed
- How to Start an Agency, Specifically This One
Class Price
MasterClass has shifted to a tiered structure more recently. However, their lowest tier is still the $180 which has been the standard price for a while now. The prices for memberships are currently as follows:
- Individual – $15/mo or $180
- Duo – $20/mo or $240
- Family – $23/mo or $276
There are no major expectations that the price will shift up too much higher. I think they have found $180 to be a sweet spot however, I think they may end up putting limitations on it as their class catalog grows and as they add new features like Sessions. In fact, I’m surprised they made Sessions a feature that is available to all users.
Course Materials
This class comes with a 37-page guidebook. This is a must-read if you’re considering exploring the world of advertising further. It breaks down the advertising industry quite well and gives you a full look at what we could call ‘corporate creativity’.
What We Liked
This course did give useful information on what goes into traditional advertising campaigns and of course, touches on the Super Bowl which is a major day in advertising. You’ll learn a decent bit about creativity in a corporate space and it can be good leg-up information if you’re looking for a career that can pay your bills while you moonlight in something else creative.
What We Didn’t Like
While they did cover a lot of the mechanics of advertising and the industry as a whole, they didn’t seem to give any good ‘how to get started’ advice on creating a portfolio and getting your first gig. I wish they had given a lesson to this.
I also hate how they had a lesson on how to start an agency. It’s such an out there goal to present to people who are assumed to be advertising novices. You don’t just go start an agency… well, you shouldn’t. They should have focused on teaching people how to get their foot in the door and the paths they could take. This lesson literally made me shake my head.
How to Get the Most Out of This Class
If you want to get the most out of this class I would definitely watch both the video lessons and read through the guidebook.
Who Is This MasterClass Best For?
This MasterClass is excellent for those considering a career in advertising, in an advertising program, or just getting their feet wet in advertising. If this is you, you’ll get to see the thought process behind campaigns and review some hefty case studies.
Who Is This MasterClass Not For?
If you don’t have any interest in advertising whatsoever and outright hate it, probably best to skip this class. This MasterClass doesn’t give you any useful information for average life or even professional life for those outside the advertising realm.
Similar MasterClasses You Might Like
MasterClass provides a fairly large array of courses and while you won’t find any others that specifically focus on advertising, you’ll find plenty of interesting courses that can provide useful advice and guidance that will help you in the realm of advertising.
If you like Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein’s MasterClass, you’ll likely enjoy the following additional courses offered by MasterClass:
- George Stephanopoulos – Purposeful Communication
- Elaine Welteroth – Designing Your Career
- Daniel Pink – Sales and Persuasion
- Robin Roberts – Effective and Authentic Communication
- Anna Wintour – Creativity and Leadership
Final Takeaway – 7/10
This was an interesting MasterClass that did provide real-world looks at advertising campaigns. I thought the course was well laid out but I do wish there were more applicable bits as far as giving advice to beginners in advertising goes. At the end of the day, it’s difficult for me to see past my own opinion of the advertising industry which I feel is definitely glorified in this MasterClass. But people in advertising are excellent at selling a fantasy. Take from that information what you will.