Goodby Silverstein & Partners hires new Brand Camp lead as it aims to expand

Brand Camp was first launched as a solution for startups but has since expanded to all types of companies. Through Brand Camp, Goodby offers clients a six-week accelerated strategy workshop where brand and agency leaders brainstorm marketing solutions.

Solomon, whose title is head of GS&P Brand Camp, succeeds Graham North, one of Brand Camp's founders. North is leaving the agency to start his own alongside Goodby alum Laura Petruccelli, who most recently served as an executive creative director and worked on notable Super Bowl campaigns such as Doritos’s “The Cool Ranch” and “Flat Matthew” ads. The new agency will be “rooted in a lot of the same principles” as Brand Camp according to North.

Solomon has held multiple lead strategy and marketing positions at YouTube, Google and Spotify, and also served as chief marketing officer for Bonobos until 2019. That same year he launched a brand consultancy called Human OS which he will continue to lead.

Revenue growth

“Eric's experience just brought a new level of thinking to the opportunities we can create from that place [from a business strategy perspective],” Wan said. “He is a C-suite leader himself. He understands what keeps [marketers] up at night. He understands the issues in this turbulent business climate, the inner workings, and what it takes to action brand strategy.”

Wan said Brand Camp has helped the shop expand business with clients including Kraft Heinz and its brands such as Capri Sun and Lunchables; for the latter, Brand Camp designed its “Built to be Eaten" immersive experience with FAO Schwarz for parents and kids. 

Pepsi's Sodastream and Frito-Lay's Rold Gold have also utilized the workshops. Brand Camp's revenue grew 66% last year, the agency said without providing an exact dollar figure. 

The agency has also held Brand Camp workshops for multiple Blackstone-owned companies that have turned into long-term projects focused on business transformation. One of those companies is now shifting from a business-to-business -focused company to a DTC brand and another is going through a rebrand, said Wan.

Solomon said he will explore ways to expand Brand Camp into new offerings yet to be determined.

"The question is, how do we not just have a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather one that is a little bit more flexible and shape-shifting to the demands that our clients have, which are quite unique across the spectrum of clients that we serve?" he said.

Wan added that Brand Camp can be beneficial during times of “uncertainty” for brands. “When clients are pulling back on the brand expression side I think they are investing in the strategic side of the business,” she said.