On his website, Rob Schwartz says: “I help business people be more creative and help creative people succeed in business.” He lives up to that promise in his newsletter, Rob Schwartz Helps, where he generously shares his love for the creative business.

In a recent post, he lamented how much advertising just plain sucks—“most of it is downright unwatchable en masse”—but pointed to rare exceptions where true chemistry between the client and the creative sparks something remarkable. Think: Michel Roux (Absolut) and Richard Lewis (+TBWA) inventing Absolut______. Or Steve Jobs (Apple) and Lee Clow (+Chiat/Day) creating Apple's "1984" and "Think Different." Or Phil Knight (Nike) and Dan Wieden (+Wieden+Kennedy) finding "Just Do It." These, Schwartz says, were “tectonic moments” born from creative combustion.

In today’s world of transactional, Zoom-based relationships, he suggests chemistry is more needed than ever. To help, he’s created a Periodic Table of Client Chemistry.

“We’re not just talking about isolated elements sitting side by side. We’re talking about reactions that transform both parties. When Trust (Tr) merges with Visioneering (Vi), you don’t just get dreaming beside trust—you get a new compound that unlocks creative fearlessness. When Time Management (Tm) combines with Humor (Hu), the result is efficient work that still carries joy.”

Schwartz makes a good case. Connection—real chemistry—is the point. And chemistry needs attention to relationships.

ARTICLE: Atomic Bonds: Why Great Work Requires A Little Chemistry

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