Bending Reality with Greg Hahn at Mischief @ No Fixed Address

Greg Hahn has built his career on reframing questions and seeing things just a little bit differently. 

Actually, that’s an understatement.

Before launching Mischief, Greg spent almost 20 years at some of the biggest and most celebrated agencies in the business, including Fallon and BBDO, where he led creative for brands like Timberland, Citibank, HBO, eBay, FedEx, and more. Along the way, he helped create some of the most awarded campaigns in modern advertising—work that not only racked up Cannes Lions and One Show pencils, but also embedded itself into culture in a way that made those brands unignorable.

When Greg was unexpectedly let go from BBDO New York in 2020 due to budget cuts, it didn’t take long for him to start Mischief @ No Fixed Address. In two months, he created a new shop “where people - both employees and clients - could come and do the best work of their lives, with less layers, pretense and other unnecessary complications.”

Since then, Greg and his team have helped businesses across multiple categories.

When Tinder came to Mischief hoping to shed its reputation as a hookup app, Greg and his team challenged them with a provocative reframing. When Pizza Hut wanted to appeal to job-seeking Gen Zers, Mischief turned the pizza box into a résumé delivery system. And when Goldfish crackers wanted to appeal to adults, Greg and his team landed on a simple, but effective fix.

Ask Greg a question about Capri Sun and you might end up talking about Banksy, Andy Warhol, or Duchamp. Or you might discover his passion for crime shows, data, and the interesting differences between Saxon words and Romance words.

That said, no matter where you start with Greg, you’ll always find your way back to a clear-eyed understanding of a brand’s core business problem and a clever, creative path that’s going to get you where you need to go.

Some of my favorite aha moments from our conversation include:

• The way Mischief does briefings differently compared to other agencies
• How an OkCupid data point about voting turned into a viral campaign (and even led to a clue on the show Jeopardy!)
• The role of social listening when it comes to their creative process for Tubi and other brands
• What Greg’s job selling aluminum siding taught him about himself
• Some advice that Greg received from David Lubars during his time at BBDO

Show Notes:

Below are links to campaigns and other inspiring ideas that came up during our conversation.

Books

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom Perseverance and The Art of Living