On My Radar: Bronwyn Sweeney and Loren Cook
MullenLowe London Creative Director duo Bronwyn Sweeney and Loren Cook [aka BroLo], admire Aldi's online exchanges, David Bowie's cinematic fantasy offering, and their mothers' influence, as they reveal what's on their creative radar.
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What the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?
LC: Ok, so, not exactly a creative idea, but the thing that stands out to me the most of late is the bold behaviour of brands on social media. Well, one in particular, Aldi. The M&S Colin vs Cuthbert caterpillar debacle was one of the greatest feuds to follow. A few simple, witty exchanges probably gained more traction than either brand's more traditional advertising.
What website(s) do you use most regularly?
BS: AirBnB and RightMove to browse properties I can’t afford, Radiooooo to listen to foreign music stations. Geez, I really need to get out more.
LC: Mainly Twitter, but I also love eBay, bidding for tiny antique nik-naks.
What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?
BS: Ugh, I wish I had a cooler answer, but AirPods Pro, simply because I love music and live in the noisiest part of London.
LC: Recently bought an Oculus Quest. It is a delight. I have become a total beast on Beat Saber.
What product could you not live without?
BS: Coffee in any form.
LC: My eyebrow pencil, because I’m a proud ginger and I’ve got no features without it. My eyebrows make me feel truly powerful.
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What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?
BS: Into the Spiderverse. I will not shut up about this film. Everything from somehow finding a new way to tell the Spider-man story, to the hilarious script, to the mind-blowing animation and music. *Chef’s kiss*
LC: The joy of lockdown has been rediscovering movies and directors I haven’t had a chance to really throw myself into. So, although not new, Tony Scott’s action movie back catalogue is pure brilliance.
What film do you think everyone should have seen?
BS: See above.
LC: Labyrinth, David Bowie and Jim Henson are responsible for my approach to many areas of my life.
What’s your preferred social media platform?
BS: TikTok, 100%. I still remember when Loren tried to sell it to me a couple years ago and I was so dismissive. Like everyone else in lockdown I wandered over and never left. I’m so impressed with the creativity of people, and my comedian friends who’ve had to adapt to not being able to perform to live audiences. I’m learning, I’m laughing and I’m connecting to oddly specific niches on the internet.
LC: TikTok forever.
What’s your favourite TV show?
BS: I recently read that anxious people often like to watch shows they’ve seen because they’re familiar. I’m a comfort watcher, for sure. Favourites include: The Office (UK and US), Drag Race, anything with Anthony Bourdain, Pointless (an early lockdown staple) [below], Community, SuperStore... I could go on for a while here.
LC: Succession; a masterclass in writing wholly unlikeable, Machiavellian, flawed but compelling characters. Oh, and Schitt’s Creek.
What’s your favourite podcast?
BS: How Did this Get Made?, Adam Buxton, Why Won’t You Date Me?, No Such Things as Fish.
LC: Shagged Married Annoyed, My Dad Wrote a Porno, They Walk Among Us, Adam Buxton.
What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?
BS: I managed to get to the Artemisia Gentileschi exhibition and... damn! If I could resurrect any artist from the past and have a chat, it would be her. I’m in awe of her life, her talent and what she overcame to become the success she did in the time she did.
LC: Um, difficult one because I haven’t been to a museum in well over a year due to covid. However, when shooting a recent Art Fund ad, we got to be in the National without anybody else there. It felt incredibly special.
What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?
BS: The amount of places to advertise, and the amount of people willing to pay not to watch them.
LC: Everything is a manifesto, bring back ideas.
If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?
BS: The barrier to entry. So many kids today don’t even realise that advertising is an actual job, and when they do it’s incredibly disappointing to discover the way in is often through a programme that channels you into years of working a lot for very little.
LC: Big, old, unjustified egos.
Who or what has most influenced your career?
BS: My mother. I remember announcing I was going to make ads pretty young, and she didn’t bat an eyelid. She just told me to figure out how to get there and to make it happen. She also drove me to my first interview in an 'ad agency' (which turned out to be door-to-door sales for Virgin Media broadband), and she had to stop at a big Tesco to buy me a suit and heels because I thought that’s what people in advertising wore. I spent all day in plastic heels knocking on doors in Bradford.
LC: Like Bron, I too adore my mam. I grew up in a little town called North Shields, near Newcastle. It was pretty unnerving for her that I wanted to run away and do an arts degree instead of getting into something ‘proper’. But she has always been my biggest cheerleader, encouraging me to get out and face my fears. Also, when I was little I wouldn’t watch cartoons, just ads, so she recorded hours on VHS for me.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.
BS: I moved to Rome when I was 17 because I wanted to be a football journalist like James Richardson.
LC: I was the longest baby in the UK in 1987.
