2. 16 OCTOBER 2013
Without
creative thinking,
brands would
be endangered
species
Red Bull’s Simon Schwaighofer strongly believes that the most important
thing when coming up with creative campaigns is to be open-minded. “It’s
not about the profession alone it is also about how you see life, how curious
you are.”
Simon Schwaighofer, creative director
at Red Bull Creative, is certain that
creativity can save the life of brands.
Surprising ideas keep the brand alive.
At Creative Academy by Red Bull he
will present the work of its agency,
especially corporate projects around
the famous energy drink.
Why do you claim that creativity can
save our lives?
I actually mean the life of brands for
which we are working for. Brands
without creative thinking would be
very threatened species – so a crea-
tive person gives the brand food and
water.
Maybe this question will be difficult
to answer, but anyway: how do you
and your creative team come up with
ideas, which are so surprising that
Red Bull energy drink keeps hanging
on the top of consumer’s mind?
I think the most important is to be
open-minded. It’s not about the
profession alone it is also about how
you see life, how curious you are. You
should be very critical to your work to
push the limits that the brand com-
munication stays surprising. So there
is no tool, which can help you except
your own mind.
It seems that it is often harder to
create campaigns with simple and
clear message than more complex
ones. Would you agree?
Yes, of course. At the end of a com-
plex project development you still
must be able to explain the idea
behind it in two sentences otherwise
dump it.
When creating Red Bull projects,
which ones do you enjoy the most
and why?
I enjoyed the most a downhill race
through the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
You can watch it on the Red Bull Con-
tent Pool. For the audience and the
participators it was an unforgettable
day. This event brought a vision and
energy into this tough neighbourhood
so, in my opinion, it was a great idea.
I like ideas which grow bigger from
year to year because they seem to
work, for example Red Bull Doodle
Art. Students scribble their thoughts
during a lesson on a paper. This doo-
dles are really very inspiring. Have a
look on Facebook “Red Bull Doodle Art
Maldives 2013”, my favourite drawing
is the doodle with the wolfman.
When talking about Red Bull crea-
tivity, the Stratos project certainly
comes to mind. Many people expect-
ed it would be among the greatest
winners at Cannes Creativity Festival,
but Red Bull had not even entered
the competition. Why not? Are you
avoiding advertising festivals?
Red Bull Stratos was considered as
an own enterprise with a strong sci-
entific component and not as a piece
of advertising, so it didn’t enter the
competition.
Before you have started to work for
Red Bull Creative, you spent more
I think branded
entertainment still
needs traditional media
channels. For the future
it would be great if
advertising in general
would be charged by its
entertainment quality so
bad advertising should
be damn expensive to get
broadcasted.
3. OCTOBER 2013 17
than ten years in various advertising
agencies. Is it easier to work just for
one client, as you do now? Do you
still find it challenging to create only
for Red Bull or do you sometimes
miss working with an array of cli-
ents?
It is still very challenging to work
mainly for one client because you
help to build up a whole world, which
has many facets from art exhibitions
to extreme sports.
But at Red Bull Creative we work
also for other brands like Head
Snowboards for example – brands
which are looking for unique stories
to tell to define their own brand
character.
Red Bull is one of the pioneers in the
field of branded entertainment. Does
this kind of consumer entertainment
bring higher ROI than investment in
traditional media channels?
I think branded entertainment still
needs traditional media channels. For
the future it would be great if adver-
tising in general would be charged by
its entertainment quality so bad ad-
vertising should be damn expensive
to get broadcasted.
How heavily do you rely Red Bull’s
marketing activities to social media
and mobile platforms? Are Red Bull
fans, in general, more socially active
and like to share their experiences
than an average consumer? How
would you describe a typical Red
Bull fan?
I think it’s all about what you want to
tell, if you have an emotional message
it will spread quickly via social media
channels and mobile platforms. We
have new media but the consumer still
needs “bread and circuses”.
Can you share with us some of your
thoughts about the (not so distant)
future of marketing and the role of
creativity in it? Would marketers de-
vote even more of their attention to
socially responsible activities or, in
other words, would marketing com-
munications become more honest,
truthful and responsible towards so-
ciety – or have they already reached
that level?
I would like that marketing in general
will get less in the future because
the product should get more relevant
again. So for creative persons I think
they will focus more on the product
itself, they will invent new products
which fit in our time and solve prob-
lems we already have in all fields.
For example bakeries, a few years ago
the small bakeries died out because
of the chains in Vienna. Everybody said
you cannot make a living anymore with
baking bread. Suddenly small bakeries
pop up again, they sell well because
they deliver products with a very good
quality. The consumer appreciates it
and is willing to pay a bit more.
Simon Schwaighofer, Creative Director,
Red Bull Creative, Austria
The creative persons will
focus more on the product
itself in the future, they
will invent new products,
which fit in our time and
solve problems we already
have in all fields.
Simon Schwaighofer
is Creative Director at Red Bull Creative, the in-
house agency from Red Bull in Salzburg. He has been
responsible for corporate projects around the energy
drink for the last seven years. Before he joined Red Bull
Creative he worked at Springer & Jacoby for the brand
Mercedes-Benz in Hamburg, London and Vienna and he
gained experience in Eastern Europe at Grey Prague for
the client Škoda.
Important for him is the simple idea as the driver of the
communication. He is a member of the Creative Club
Austria (CCA) and lives with his family in Vienna.
Creative Academy by Red Bull:
Creativity can save
your life
Friday, October 11, Europa Hall
4. Kolofon: Golden Drum In Focus, September/October 2013, Published by: Golden Drum Festival,
Design: Futura DDB d.o.o., Production: Slovenska oglaševalska zbornica/Medijski partner d.o.o.,
Editor: Borut Odlazek, Journalist: Simona Kruhar Gabršček, Printing: Tiskarna knjigoveznica
Radovljica, Printed on paper Gardamatt 115g provided by Alpe papir d.o.o.
