Behind the Screens with Brett Pund: The Thinking Before the Campaign
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Brett Pund has spent nearly six years at Digilant helping turn client goals, campaign ideas, research, and partner recommendations into media strategies built to move.
As a Strategy Lead on Digilant’s Sales Planning team, Brett works on the front end of the campaign process, supporting proposals, shaping strategic recommendations, and helping uncover the insights that guide smarter media decisions. Before joining Digilant, Brett worked on the agency side and started his marketing and advertising career at a local MGM casino. Before that, his background was in sports, which may explain the steady mix of strategy, teamwork, and well-timed commentary he brings to the role.
In this edition of Behind the Screens, Brett shares what Digilant’s planning team actually does, how research can uncover opportunities clients may not have considered, and why levity matters when you spend your days deep in proposals, spreadsheets, and strategic decisions.
Watch the full video interview to hear more from Brett on planning, research, partner strategy, and the importance of keeping work human.
Inside Brett’s Role at Digilant
The planning team plays a critical role in the earliest stages of a client relationship. As Brett explains, the team typically steps in during the pre-sale process, building proposals and developing the strategic recommendations that help brands understand what is possible with Digilant.
That work includes channel recommendations, targeting strategy, audience analysis, past campaign examples, case studies, and custom research. In short, it is the thinking behind the plan before the plan ever becomes a live campaign.
For Brett, no two days look exactly the same, which is part of what keeps the work interesting. Some days are spent in PowerPoint or Excel, shaping proposals based on a client’s goals and preferred format. Other days involve digging into research, evaluating partners, or helping translate a big client challenge into a clear media strategy.
The common thread is strategic problem solving. The planning team is there to support sales, but also to make sure every recommendation is grounded in what the client is actually trying to achieve.
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Building Strategy from a Blank Slate
When a new client comes to Digilant with a blank slate, Brett sees it as an opportunity to get creative.
The first step is not jumping straight into channels or tactics. It is understanding the brand. What are they trying to accomplish? What challenges are getting in the way? Are they struggling to reach a specific audience? Do they even know who their highest-value audience really is?
From there, Brett and the planning team can begin connecting the dots between client goals, audience insights, partner capabilities, and Digilant’s broader offerings.
It is also a chance to show what makes Digilant different. As Brett puts it, the team is not only building a plan. They are helping clients understand why Digilant is the right partner to bring that plan to life.
That balance is what makes the work both strategic and creative. The goal is to build a recommendation that solves the client’s immediate challenge while also leaving a strong impression.
Partner Strategy Without the One-Size-Fits-All Thinking
One of the planning team’s biggest responsibilities is knowing which partners and platforms make sense for each client.
That is not always simple. Digilant works with a wide range of partners, each with different strengths, pricing models, reporting capabilities, audience reach, and specialized offerings. Choosing the right mix requires both deep knowledge and careful evaluation.
For Brett, past performance matters. So does understanding what each partner specializes in, whether they have enough scale, how they support analytics and reporting, and whether the pricing makes sense for the client’s goals.
That partner-agnostic approach gives the team room to be flexible. Instead of being locked into one way of thinking, Digilant can pull different levers depending on what each client needs.
And in a media landscape where every campaign comes with its own goals, constraints, and opportunities, that flexibility matters.
Turning Research Into Real Direction
Custom research has become a growing part of the planning team’s work, and Brett sees it as one of the most valuable ways Digilant can support both prospects and existing clients.
That research might include competitive spend analysis, audience insights, vertical research, market research, or post-campaign audience learnings. Some clients want to know how much their competitors are spending and where. Others want to better understand who their audience is, where opportunities exist, or how their current assumptions compare to the data.
But Brett is clear on one important point: data alone is not enough.
The real value comes from answering the next question: How is this applicable?
It is one thing to show a client what their competitors are doing. It is another to help them understand whether they should follow that activity, challenge it, or look for opportunity in the whitespace. It is one thing to confirm who a brand thinks its audience is. It is another to reveal an untapped audience segment competitors may be missing.
That is where research becomes strategy. It does not just explain what is happening. It helps clients decide what to do next.
Making the Handoff Count
While much of Brett’s work happens before a campaign is sold, the planning team’s role does not stop once the business is won.
After a proposal becomes a campaign, Brett and the team create detailed handoff materials for Digilant’s internal teams. These handoffs include everything an analyst needs to move from “I have never seen this before” to “I understand exactly what we are trying to do and how to run it.”
That can include client notes, email conversations, call details, briefs, RFP documents, proposal materials, and campaign specifics. The goal is to make sure all the strategic thinking from the pre-sale process carries through into activation.
As Brett explains, winning the proposal is one thing. Running the campaign is where the work becomes real.
A strong handoff ensures the strategy does not get lost between teams. It gives activation the context they need to execute confidently and keeps everyone aligned on what the client signed up for.
Why Levity Belongs Behind the Screens
Brett has also earned a reputation as the planning team’s unofficial comedian, a title he accepted with the appropriate level of suspicion.
“That’s dangerous,” he joked.
But behind the humor is a real perspective on teamwork. Brett points out that people often spend more time with their coworkers during the week than almost anyone else. If teams cannot enjoy that time together, the days can get long fast.
Work can be stressful, especially when proposals, research, deadlines, and client expectations are all moving at once. But Brett sees humor as a way to reset the room.
A quick joke or lighthearted moment can remind everyone to take a step back, keep things in perspective, and remember that the work matters, but it does not have to feel heavy all the time.
And yes, as Brett admits, he also just likes to laugh.
A Team That Feels Like a Team
When asked about his favorite part of working on the planning team, Brett pointed to the people.
The sales planning team has a strong sense of togetherness. Team members jump in to help each other, collaborate constantly, and keep conversations going even in a remote environment.
That matters. Remote work can sometimes feel siloed, but Brett says he does not feel that way at Digilant. Between work conversations, team support, and the occasional discussion about food or reality TV, the planning team has built a culture that feels connected.
For Brett, that balance is what makes the environment work. The team takes the work seriously, but they also make space to enjoy the process and support each other along the way.
What Excites Brett Right Now
When asked what he is excited about, Brett’s first answer was not work-related.
The World Cup is top of mind, and he is ready to see how the U.S. performs as the tournament approaches. He is also hoping, in his words, that hosting it is “not a logistical disaster.”
Work-wise, Brett is energized by the new technology and tools Digilant continues to build. Some of those innovations help internal teams work more efficiently, while others strengthen the way Digilant presents ideas and solutions externally.
He is also excited by the constant learning that comes with the industry. New partners, new data providers, new targeting options, and new capabilities are always emerging. For Brett, that pace creates momentum and keeps the work from feeling static.
As Digilant continues to grow its technology and strategic capabilities, Brett sees more opportunity ahead for both the company and the teams building that work behind the scenes.
Keep Watching: More Stories Coming Soon
Brett’s episode is a reminder that great media strategy starts long before a campaign goes live. It begins with asking the right questions, understanding the client’s goals, evaluating the best path forward, and making sure every handoff carries the full story.
It also starts with people who know how to think strategically, collaborate across teams, and keep the process human along the way.
Scroll back up to watch the full Behind the Screens interview with Brett Pund, and stay tuned for more stories from the Digilant team members helping turn smart ideas into stronger campaigns.