He Wrote “The Most Interesting Man in the World”… and Here’s What He Thinks About Ads Today
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“When I was just a citizen subjected to advertising's product, I’ve always been shocked at how horrible advertising is. Thirty years in, I don’t think it’s gotten any better. I think it’s only gotten worse.” — Jeff Kling
Jeff Kling is one of the few creatives who can say they changed culture. He helped create “The Most Interesting Man in the World” for Dos Equis, the Miller High Life spots with Errol Morris, and Arby’s “We Have the Meats.” But when you talk to him today, he’s blunt: most advertising is lazy, predictable, and forgettable.
If you’re an aspiring creative, his perspective is both a warning and a guide. Here’s what you can learn from someone who’s seen how the best work gets made—and why most doesn’t.
Watch the episode on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts
Lesson 1: Stop Microwaving Old Ideas
Kling doesn’t blame clients or account people for bad work. He blames creatives. Too many recycle safe references instead of putting forward a real point of view. “Creatives are probably the worst culprits. They call themselves creative, but they’re just microwaving shit.”
If you want to stand out, originality isn’t optional. Bring something that makes a dent. Work that creates culture, even if it reaches only a small audience, will influence far more than wallpaper campaigns.
Lesson 2: Strategy Only Works if It’s Real
Miller High Life proved the value of listening. Kling credits planners who brought back verbatim quotes from real drinkers. Those voices forced him to rewrite work that would have fallen flat. “I knew exactly who those guys were. If my scripts went out as they were, they wouldn’t have cared. I had to refocus and make it real.”
The Dos Equis campaign came from the same principle. The original brief described a sophisticated, worldly consumer. But field research showed the opposite: men were terrified of being boring in social situations. That fear birthed “The Most Interesting Man.”
Great campaigns don’t start with brand fiction. They start with human truths.
Lesson 3: Constraints Can Be Your Advantage
Not every project has time or budget for deep research. When Kling was tasked with naming Hims, the timeline was six weeks. No research trips. No endless testing. Just instinct and clarity. The solution: a clean, unfamiliar-but-familiar word that gave the brand room to grow. “There’s always a way to flip something into a benefit,” Kling says.
For juniors, that means stop waiting for perfect conditions. Learn to turn limits into creative leverage.
Lesson 4: Do the Scary Thing
Asked what he’d tell his younger self, Kling’s answer was simple: be braver. He once left a comfortable life in North Carolina to bet on himself in New York. That leap defined his career. Later, he admits he avoided risks that could have expanded his path, like writing for Letterman or directing. “I said no to so many things, just trying to hold on to the one thing I had.”
The lesson: don’t cling to comfort. Growth comes from risk, not safety.
Lesson 5: Don’t Waste Your Life on Hollow Work
Kling doesn’t romanticize agencies. He told his own kids to intern in post-production, not advertising. Why? Because in his words, “That’s a play place. Agencies are set up to waste time. There’s no juice there.”
That’s a harsh verdict, but it’s also liberating. You don’t have to follow a narrow path. You just have to find places where you can actually make things.
Final Word
Kling changed culture by listening to real people, pushing new ideas, and refusing to settle. His advice is simple: advertising doesn’t need more safe campaigns. It needs brave creatives who are willing to risk being different.
Listen to the full episode with Jeff Kling on Breaking and Entering to hear the stories behind Miller High Life, Dos Equis, Arby’s, and more.
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