Brands need stories and images

For the creative advertising agency Neutral, collaborating with artists is part of its concept. In addition to David Shrigley for Pringle of Scotland, examples include Ryan McGinley for Puma and the New York-based Swiss artist Olaf Breunig for Bally. Breunig has left his mark on the current «Bally Love 2» collection with his bold use of red, green, and yellow.

«Brands need stories and images to be—or to become—desirable. That’s why we work with the world’s best visual creators,» explains Creative Director Rudolph Schürmann. In addition, Neutral develops ideas and brand stories «that are not just communication, but intelligent models that drive business growth,» says Michelle Nicol. The art expert has already creatively blurred the lines between art, lifestyle, and marketing in various projects, transforming brand content into branded entertainment. In addition to Switzerland’s only gold award at ADC Europe, Neutral was also honored this past January with one silver and two bronze ADC Cubes for its work with Pringle and Bally in the categories of Overall Campaign, Photography, and Design.

Neutral was founded in 2001 and is owner-managed by Rudolph Schürmann and Michelle Nicol. Schürmann, a creative director and marketing strategist, earned a degree in graphic design from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts before studying painting at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf and becoming a conceptual artist. After transitioning to advertising as a copywriter, he worked for WHS, Scotti, Advido Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Euro RSCG, and on the client side as Executive Creative Director at Media Markt International. Michelle Nicol studied art history and film at the University of Zurich, worked as a fashion critic, and made a name for herself as a curator for various renowned collections of contemporary art. She worked for the Berlin Biennale and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and wrote texts for the Kunsthaus Zürich, among others.

As a sign of a fresh start, Neutral moved into new offices in Zurich’s Langstrasse neighborhood a few months ago. The full-service agency employs twelve full-time staff members. «To maximize the impact of paid advertising,» Neutral launched its own PR department in the summer of 2012 in collaboration with international partners.

Andreas Panzeri