In 2023, Pereira O’Dell, USA, was acquired by Serviceplan. 

On day one of the 2024 edition of LIA Creative Liaisons, Juliana Constantino, ECD, Pereira O’Dell, New York, and Till Diestel, MD and CCO, Serviceplan Germany, explained why they believed that creatives had the best job in the world.

Diestel borrowed a line from David Droga, founder, Droga5 (acquired by Accenture in 2019), who stated that creatives in advertising are only as good as their last 12 months of work and showcased some of the work the agencies had worked on together.

Constantino stated, “We like to keep believing the fact that we have so much fun in our jobs. It’s partially true that the passion we have reflects in our work. It’s unique to our industry.”

Diestel added, “We are lucky to work in this industry. You wake up and talk about cat food, sneakers, car brands, banks or some other category – all on the same day. So, you have expert knowledge for some time and then forget about it (when a client is lost).

The duo followed these statements by showcasing different pieces of work.

Constantino stated, “We chose this work to emphasise on the creative freedom we have. We have so many resources to put together. The creative freedom we have is different from other industries.”

“Advertising allows creatives to blend art, psychology, and storytelling. This unique combination gives advertising professionals a level of creative freedom, unlike other industries. This gives us so much freedom to do things and we get paid for it,” added Diestel.

On this piece of work, Diestel said, “It’s one of the pieces like where a team comes up with a thought and then you work with clients to execute it. It’s not just a film or OOH. It’s something bigger and amazing.”

Constantino stated how the two pieces of work were completely different from each other. One used humour and the other was serious and stated how creatives can use both emotions.

On this topic, Diestel stated how the advertising industry needs more of the 30-second funny commercials.

Constantino then asked Diestel to explain how storytelling in advertising is different from films or literature.

He said, “It is all about telling a good story. My advice is - craft the shit out of everything. The last 10% makes a difference. The beauty of working with directors, musicians and getting the crew together to make good work is really nice.”

On this campaign, he said, “When you get on a plane or in a train, you keep thinking why a co-passenger is travelling in your head. It’s a true human insight. We pitched it to the client and they got it. We then flew off to Thailand to shoot this film with some of the most renowned directors. It’s insane and this the beauty of your job – write something, sell it, and you’re on a plane to some place (to shoot it).”

He added, “Consumers may not know this but there’s so much detail in each scene with the sound and the music. Music is such an emotional driver – you need more budgets for it rather than giving it the least.”

Advertising shaping cultures

On this topic, Diestel stated, “I work in the UK and a lot with clients in the USA. These two markets have a lot more pop culture than the others. Advertising needs to be part of pop culture. I’d say - be authentic but be part of the pop culture.”

On how this campaign has shaped and joined pop cultures, he added, “We opened up a surf town in Germany and are working with other brands too.”

Diestel also urged the young creatives in the audience to ask questions and challenge briefs. 

“This will help you dig deep. You can’t afford to be boring as a brand. That will make you mediocre. Often media clients speak to clients before you get briefs – challenge that too,” he said.

An example of the above was a creative consultant company in London helping Easyjet save millions of money.

“The longer the plane is on the ground, the more the airlines have to pay. So, the idea was to have the quickest turnaround time. The consultancy found an insight that when there is music playing on a plane, people board faster. They made people board 2% faster than usual. Easyjet has 1,000 planes and this move helped them save millions. It’s so much more than writing scripts.”

On the topic of why creatives have the best jobs in the world, the duo disclosed how they get to work on passion projects.

To back this point, he showcased a film released a week ago.

“It’s one of these projects where they found some study about sheep farms. We bought a sheep farm. It’s so much more than just writing,” he said.

Diestel also stated how one of the most exciting aspects of being a creative is the journey of an idea going from concept to reality.

German grocery retailer Penny introduced Pricepacks. These feature the price in big block letters right on the packaging. In a world of constantly fluctuating prices, the Price Packs serve as a promise of price stability.

Constantino explained, “That had a lot of bravery there. It was about the most famous products – and making it look generic like price tags.”

Diestel added, “In the beginning, it was about trying in one store – they went out and said either all stores or we don’t do it.”

The talk ended with Diestel’s views on AI impacting creativity and creatives. 

“We can have a whole talk about what it will do to our industry. It won’t take away our jobs. But someone using AI will. So, use it and be quicker, and smarter. It will do a lot of the mediocre shit professionals are currently doing.”