“I first became involved in OMB in 2014. I had been freelancing for 5 years and although freelance was financially rewarding, I was finding my work life a little solitary. So when I found OMB on twitter I thought I’d have a go and hopefully interact with a few like-minded people. I could never have imagined the impact that OMB would have on me.

Professionally, OMB has helped me to work better, smarter and faster. A big part of my job is conceptualisation, I believe that participating in OMB has increased not only the quantity but also the quality of ideas that I generate. It has also unearthed an unexpected love of writing - turns out that I’m not just visually creative, although my grammar and punctuation are far from a professional standard, my love of words has started to spill into my day job.

Because of OMB I’ve won a couple of awards, quite a few prizes and an impressive amount of cash, but nothing has been more rewarding than my collab with OMB. My goddaughter Isabella has been fighting Neuroblastoma since 2010, and in 2017 after a third relapse, Isabella’s family needed help, treatment options in the UK were running out and a new vaccine trial in America was showing positive results in other kids with the same disease. After 7 years of feeling helpless, there was finally something I could do. I asked Nick if we could run a collab brief to generate ideas for a social media campaign to help raise the mammoth £155k needed to get Isabella to America for treatment. The response was both massive and brilliant, but before I had chance to decide what to do with the entries, I received an email from the MD at Trunk, saying he’d like to help us make a video or a game for Isabella and asked if I could send him some ideas. I emailed back the following day with a handful of concepts, one of which was a script I’d written based on a poster by the wonderful @ZedTrafficker. Within a week, Nick had joined Trunk agency as CD and had already finished and polished my basic script. Not long after that, Isabella’s video had been shot, edited and posted on social media. The response was phenomenal. The video has now been viewed over 20 million times, having featured on numerous social media and news channels (including UniLad and BBC News) and Isabella’s fund has grown. A year later and Isabella now has enough funds for America, so once she is in remission she will be on that plane to America and I can’t thank Nick, Trunk and the ombles enough.

The support and positivity shown within the OMB community is something that touches me on a regular basis. Live events, meet ups and industry awards have given me the opportunity to get to know some of the Ombles and you couldn’t wish to meet a nicer group of people. To think that all of this has come from one person, who runs the entire platform single-handedly is quite frankly mind blowing. Thanks for everything Nick, it’s been life changing❤️.”

“Inspiring to be surrounded by such creative people.

As social media slowly took over my life I found that I was consuming a lot more than I was creating. Lou then introduced One Minute Briefs to me and my mind was blown... Who knew that doing something for just one minute a day could trigger my creative spark? It made me think a lot more outside of the box and provided a nice way to do something completely different. One day there will be briefs on Bidets and the next on Unicorns, so you could say that there’s a wide variety of briefs! The OMB community is amazing and it’s just so inspiring to be surrounded by such creative people.”

“How I Got My Creative Mojo Back And It Only Took A Minute

In my 20 years in advertising the one constant cry that echoed throughout the agency world was “we need more time”. Time for what? Crafting, production, research, debating maybe, which are all an important parts of the process, but not to have the idea. We talk about a flash of inspiration, so why ask for more time to think?Lately I have been joining in with an amazing Twitter concept – The One Minute Brief. One simple rule create an ad in one minute from a one word brief. But guess what? It works. It works beautifully in fact. No time to over think, just knock out your first thought post it and let the Twitter world be the judge. Fellow participants give you feedback, encouragement and there’s quite a bit of friendly banter (bit like a real agency actually). At the end of the day there’s a vote to decide the winner or winners, but there’s no losers.No idea is a bad idea, in fact many of the ideas would grace the presentation room of some top advertising agencies. In my time as a Creative Director I’d have been more than happy to present then to clients. There’s also a few possible award winners in there too. These are the ones that you than spend the time crafting and enhancing without losing the core concept. Which is the most important element.Can’t say what others get from it, but for me it has re-ignited my desire to once more strive to create imaginative, entertaining and informative advertising. Who knows it could open another chapter in my creative career (JWT New York let’s do lunch).My creative mojo has returned more vindictive than ever. I’ve produced (in my opinion at least) ideas with which I’m more than happy with in virtually no time at all. I feel sharper, more creative and I’m not afraid of failure. Because having not spent days or weeks developing and nurturing an idea I am not afraid to just produce another.The bottomline is that, to fully unleash your creativity potential, you should stop deliberating over ideas and throw them out instead. Just like when scoring a goal and falling in love, it takes a minute to have a great idea.”

“My name is Gareth and I have a problem.

I’m addicted to One Minute Briefs!

Not a word of a lie. I wake up every morning excited about what the brief of the day may be. And as soon as it appears in my twitter feed my brain goes into overdrive.There really is nothing like it. It makes you think. It stimulates the brain. It gets the creative juices flowing. And it only takes a minute of your time. It’s creative crack!If you feel uninspired and creatively stagnant do a One Minute Brief. You’ll be sharper and better for it. And you’ll soon be back for another fix!An awesome exercise. A very cool concept. A daily routine that I can’t do without!And just wait until the day you actually win one!(This Testimonial was done in One Minute!)”

“‘Initially a Twitter sceptic, I have recently been convinced of its worth for creative professionals - and participating in One Minute Briefs has played a big part in that. As a copywriter in a highly specialised field, I have found One Minute Briefs to be a fantastic way to broaden my perspective, and it would not be overstating it to say these ‘daily exercises’ have also helped me to think more creatively at work’”

“If a great idea should fit on the back of a cigarette packet, or napkin, or whatever small item you like best, 

One Minute Briefs is a flipping marvellous one. Whatever the brief – whether it’s to advertise the army, slimming pills, or even, ahem, dogging – OMBs forces you to think quickly and sharply about the very core of the product then communicate it as effectively as you can with wit, intelligence, or sometimes just a bloody good pun. These short bursts of concentration make you think better and they make your creative work better. And they only take 60 seconds, so you don’t even have to feel bad about doing one of them instead of the really important report your client needs in exactly 32 minutes. Basically, they’re fun, they’re clever, and they’re making me sort out a portfolio so I can get a job doing stuff I love all day, rather than for just a minute of it.”

“ I am not miserable anymore. I’m happy.

The great Brian Clough once said, “It only takes a second to score a goal”.

In my experience it only takes 60 to achieve all of your own.

Around 18 months ago I was miserable. Stuck in a dull, dead end job with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go – it wasn’t a creative rut, so much as a life one.

Then one day a friend of mine sent me a message saying – “Have a look at this, I think it is right up your street”.

It was simply, advertise Diamonds on a twitter account called One Minute Briefs.

Fast forward a year and a half and I am currently finishing up my first placement at a creative agency, have a portfolio that includes live TV adverts, and freelance work already booked on the horizon. 

But more importantly, I am not miserable anymore. I’m happy.

I’m not a prolific winner really, but I’ve won a few. What has been more valuable is the fantastic community found, the ambition rediscovered and the spring put back into my step.

My advice to anyone, advertising orientated or not, would be to take the minute because you have no idea where that minute will take you.”

“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Just wanted to let you know, I’ve just clicked send on a copy project for The Drum events team. 

To me writing for The Drum represents a ‘proper’ copywriting job, so it was one of those heart-stopping ‘what am I doing?’ moments. 

They’d remembered me from the DoItDay Brief so I just wanted to say, once again, thank you for providing the springboard into a career I really love. 

I’ve also landed a small job with a local business off the back of OMB. A physio had seen some ads on my friend’s Facebook timeline and had asked me to create some ads for her clinic front. 

And (I’m not done yet) I’ve secured a retainer with a digital agency in Warrington to do their in-house copy for the next few months. I met their brand management guy, who had seen my OMBs and loved them. 

It’s been such a confidence boost and I’m just so grateful for OMB and all the OMBLEs. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you

”

“1440 minutes in a day. Create a One Minute Brief.

The first time I submitted a OMB I ran with a dad joke about doughnuts. Since then I’ve been hooked. With over 40 wins in my back pocket, it really does give you that daily creative boost.

It really is the best channel to try out new ideas that you don’t always get to roll with. It challenges you to create concepts quickly. Plus, OMB gives you the opportunity to work on briefs for big named clients. 

Over the last 2 years OMB has definitely helped me progress as a designer, landed me interviews, expanded my portfolio, as well as even got me a job. It exposes you as a designer, copywriter or just someone with a passion for advertising. It makes networking fun. I seriously could not recommend it more to anyone who has a minute spare, there’s 1440 of them in a day after all. 

Cheers to Nick and the OMBLES!
”

“‘One Minute Briefs gives you the opportunity to get your ideas out to others instantly and it’s a great place for up-and-coming Creatives!’
”

“Creativity at its democratic best.

As an agency, One Minute Briefs is a really great tool for us to exercise our creativity. Having a limited amount of time to respond to a variety of briefs keeps us on our toes which, in turn, improves idea generation. The OMB concept is creativity at its democratic best, allowing advertising students, creatives and freelancers a platform to shine and grab the attention of agencies and brands alike.”

“Make blank pages less intimidating.

One minute briefs helps to make blank pages less intimidating and allows me the creative outlet to approach subjects in a different wa to how I need to in my job. It’s an amazing confidence boost when you see the fellow OMBles liking and commenting on your ideas. Makes me think “Hey, maybe I’m actually ok at this designing lark.””

“One minute, every day, changes the way you think.

Working in the health and wellbeing sector, we see all kind of faddy diets and bogus claims about how various routines can change your life overnight.

We also see, that if you take incremental changes every day, it genuinely can benefit you.

This is true of OMB.

One minute, every day, changes the way you think and the way you work.

It’s removed the fear of failure that creatives can often succumb to.

It gives us a platform to create ideas without having to prove an ROI, or debate with a committee about “ways to improve the work”.

And it’s fun. You get to collaborate with like-minded folk who have an unrivalled passion for creativity.

Since we’ve joined OMB, the combination of healthy competition and challenging briefs has improved our creative output. No doubt.

So, if you get a minute, you should give it a go.”

“When I started OMB, I had no idea what a copywriter was. Now, a year later, I know it’s what I want to be. One Minute Briefs has given me the opportunity to try new ideas, have fun and meet some amazing creative brains all over the country. The OMBLive event gave me a great chance to do some networking and meet real creatives doing what I want to do. Most importantly, OMB has given me the confidence to start a career in advertising. I’ve just moved to Germany for my first job in an agency.

OMB is an amazing community. Whatever your background, whoever you are and whatever you do, it’s a level playing field for creative ideas. ”

“It’s a life-changer.

One Minute Briefs. It’s not just a game-changer. It’s a life-changer. It’s amazing for unlocking creative parts of you that maybe didn’t exist or were suppressed due to confidence. It sharpens the left and right sides of the brain (ambicreative!)  due to its medicinal, ‘take one daily’ approach. You make online friends who support you, and turn out to be pretty f**king cool in real life. OMB is as addictive as any substance or hobby but a hell of a lot cheaper. Practice, do it every day, watch, observe and you will improve, will reflect, and definitely become the best OMBLE you can be.”

“OneMinuteBriefs has:

- cured my lunch hour;

- given me a chance to explore and try ideas I’d NEVER encounter in my day job;

- genuinely made me far better at that day job;

- inspired me to train and develop my team differently;

- introduced me to lots of really cool and talented people;

- shown me the true meaning and potential of social media; and, most importantly of all...

- made me happy.

Thanks Nick & OMBLES 😊

(**ps - and a shed load of brilliant charitable causes)”

“My name’s Richard Bayley and I’m a One Minute Brief addict.

I work as a designer but often don’t get to show as much creativity as I would like. One Minute Briefs is a great place for people like me to learn and show off their ideas no matter how bad. Some of the ideas that I see pop up in my twitter feed are amazing and better than what we see everyday on our tv’s, in magazines and on billboards. The OMBLES are great group of people and to get a favourite, retweet, like or comment on one of your ideas gives you such a buzz.  ”

“OMB Confidence Boost 

Where can I start with One Minute Briefs? 

Initially, it started out as a bit of fun, something to brighten up my days as a rather frustrated graphic designer who felt I should be achieving more than I was. Plus, I’d always had an interest in advertising, and this was my way to have a crack at it.

It was then I realised that that one minute of my day was actually getting me back to thinking about the raw idea, something, i’m ashamed to admit, that i’d lost sight of for whatever reason. 

The more I did them, the quicker the ideas began to flow, both with OMB, and ‘real work’ too. 

And, my ideas started becoming winning ones too. 

Pretty soon I had a book full of ideas that landed me the more fulfilling role I wanted, and, a couple of Chip Shop Awards in the process. 

Then, there’s the community of amazingly talented people who also take part, from students to seasoned creatives. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of them, and it feels like we’re all old friends when we do.

I’m miles away from that frustrated designer that I was, and in my opinion, it’s all down to OMB. I have a lot to thank it for.”

“The Beauty of One Minute Briefs

At 35 years old I decided on a change of career - I wanted to be in advertising.I hung up my chef whites, sent off a few begging letters, visited a few agencies, and along the way was lucky enough to come across Nick (and James) and One Minute Briefs. That was almost a year ago.In that time I’ve learnt so much, so quickly, and managed to build up a half respectable portfolio that no longer gets laughed straight back out of the agency door. One Minute Briefs is a wonderfully simple idea that forces you to think on your feet, like really think, inside the box, outside the box, folding the box as if mental origami to produce something truly brilliant.Or a load of old crap.It doesn’t matter. That’s the beauty of One Minute Briefs. No matter what you produce, you’re still producing. And if you produce enough of it, somewhere in that growing pile of half-thoughts and hastily scrawled-out scamps you will eventually find a gem. A gem that could change everything.That’s what One Minute Briefs means to me.”

“OMB - sounds like an ad agency.

And so it is, and I’m proud to be a part of this virtual ad agency, made up of many free thinking individuals from the creative industry all around the world. Designers, Copywriters, Art directors, Artists, Students and Film-makers - you name it; we’re all in the biggest creative department ever! OMB, One Minute Briefs, is a fantastic place to be. I have seen some terrific work, which is refreshing, no-holds-barred and sometimes highly controversial. I’ve always said that to produce good work you need to be with good people - and at OMB there are plenty of those around.As a freelance adman, working from home for most of the time, I do miss the agency social life and camaraderie of the creative department. I’m pleased to say I get the same buzz at OMB. ”

“OMB gave me a platform to develop .

OMB gave me a platform to develop my advertising and creative knowledge… in a minute… many many times. I joined an agency as an apprentice straight from sixth form and everything was new to me I didn’t know people sat that sat in the office colouring in were called creatives? and got paid!?!? I started doing OMB’s for fun and it enhanced my understanding of the creative process and also the way agency’s work. That one crazy idea, that one nougat could be the difference between a run of the mill advertising campaign and an award winning campaign. The online community is full of creative talent from across the world that are all so humble and willing to help up and coming juniors in any position within advertising. Nick.E 4 lyf. Flash out.”

“OMB - Completely changed our Twitter Presence

One Minute Briefs completely changed our twitter presence and generated interest for our cause from all sorts of places. It’s an amazing concept and we were totally overwhelmed by all the ideas. This was particularly special as it was a campaign in memory of a very special supporter of Seashell Trust and the ideas all encapsulated his and our passion for accessible sport for everyone. It was the perfect way to make people think about inclusive sport and his legacy. Thanks to Nick we reached audiences we would certainly never have been able to. Heartfelt thanks to them and everyone for getting involved, it meant so much to everyone here.”

““I’m so pleased with how this went! There are some amazing entries. To choose a shortlist is difficult. These are all really creative and fit in well with the brand. I think they’re amazing.””

““Kpow! A blitzkrieg of super-powered ideas from the caped crusaders of creativity. Our collaboration was inspired and warmly received by the men in tights.””

““We have worked with One Minute Briefs for a considerable length of time now and have always found them to be extremely passionate about what they do, eager to engage with the industry and their innovative invention makes them a pleasure to deal with.””

“I first emailed Nick completely out of the blue, asking if they were able to support the foundation through One Minute Briefs. From the offset Nick was enthusiastic in supporting the cause and helping the charity gain a whole host of promotional material (Banners, Posters etc). The brief captured the heart of the foundation and its meaning, making the entries beyond what we could have ever expected from any huge marketing agency. Everyone at the charity is incredibly thankful to all those that sent in there ideas throughout our collaboration, we use much of the material to this day.”

“‘Working with One Minute Briefs was a really interesting experience. It was great to put the brief out there and be overwhelmed by the creative and in some cases pretty hilarious responses we got in return. Really helped open up the campaign.’”