Andy Iverson - Nucleus Marketing Lab

Andy

Iverson

BIOGRAPHY

Andy’s start in brand strategy and insights was a simple one; he started his career in the creative department and after two worthless years, he was finally told that he just sucked at laying out print ads and direct mail pieces. Yet on the positive side, he was recognized as being very good at poking holes in the logic of creative strategy briefs. After being quickly shuffled out of the creative realm, Andy became an agency strategist which naturally opened the door to account planning. Since then he never looked back and has worked in Account Planning departments at agencies such as Rubin Postaer, Publicis Worldwide, Leo Burnett Technology Group and Barkley.

During his career, Andy has been to the Burke Institute for formal qualitative research moderator training and taken a number of courses on consumer psychology. Along the way he has conducted 200-plus qualitative projects with every age and type of consumer imaginable.

Andy represents the Texas outpost of Nucleus Marketing Lab where he lives with his wife, son, daughter and gun collection which he shows to anyone wanting to date said daughter. Andy earned his B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M University.

GET TO KNOW ANDY

I proudly attended…

Texas A &M.

Most people don’t know that…

I have a hardware tool fetish… even though I’m not mechanically inclined and rarely use tools.

I like to play table shuffleboard and can beat Steve Bast most every time except for that one trip to Columbia, SC where he defeated me in epic fashion repeatedly.

Silent auctions are like kryptonite to me. I can’t help but bid on items.

At my funeral reception, they should serve…

BBQ Ribs and some really rich homemade mac & cheese.

And the playlist should be…

Some old classic country music but mix in some classic Jimmy Buffett songs as well.

When I go to the movies, I like to eat…

Popcorn, lots and lots of popcorn… and I always get it refilled after the movie to take home.

On the weekends, I can be found…

Creating a new yard project that won’t be completed for at least six months.

My top pet peeves are…

Buying fake/knockoff brands – get the real thing or don’t buy it.

People that insist you try a type of food that you clearly have communicated that you don’t like.

Vehicles with loud mufflers.

Weird looking, outdated clowns… at carnivals.

I am a huge sucker for…

Silent auctions (refer back to previous point).

My favorite book of all time is…

Sh*t My Dad Says, by Justin Halpem. Having lost my dad to cancer at too young of an age, this book always brings me back to his humor and puts a smile on my face.

Personal mantras I follow…

“The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” My 12-year-old son posted this on Instagram a while back and it blew me away. I’ve made it my personal mantra.

Things I’ve always wondered…

Why people continue to think that Facebook is your REAL life.

What it would be like to be a guest on the Tonight Show due to some stupid thing that happened to you that the media grabbed onto and made famous for a moment in time.

What the conversation would be like if I could go back in time and meet Mark Twain.

I wanted to work in marketing because…

When I was a kid, I would always get so mad at the stupid, base, insulting ads on TV that interrupted Gilligan’s Island, MASH and The Dukes of Hazard. They truly made me angry, and I was like 9 years old. So, as I entered college I started selling ad space for the college newspaper and I bought a Mac Classic and started doing ad layouts as well to make “good ads.” Given I was the only guy doing that, I got a small advertising scholarship from the local Ad club and then went to their luncheon to speak and thank them. A small ad agency approached me after my talk and offered me a summer paid internship. After that summer I was hooked and never looked back. I hope I’ve never made any 9 year olds mad with the ads I have produced… my guess is there might have been a couple.

I like being part of the Nucleus team because…

Genuinely good people… it’s just that simple. I’ve worked in the marketing industry for 20 plus years now and have met more than my share of egomaniacs, ass clowns and truly horrible human beings. Working with Steve and company is refreshing… every time.

My favorite quotes from clients are…

“I want the ad to look more mundane.” – That was a fun project to get to good work that was effective… and not mundane.

“Marketing is like sex – you have to keep it fresh, new and interesting” – how can you not like that client (and it’s clearly not the same client from the first quote).