Creative Days: Program is set

ORCHESTRA OF WIZARDS

Creative Days 2025

When? Where?: Keynotes, panels, interviews, and workshops on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Signature, Bahnhofquai 11, 8001 Zurich.

The daily schedule:

9:00–9:45 a.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Keynote: From the Orchestra Pit of Subculture 

Guido Heffels He sets the tone right away when the Chief Creative Officer at Hornbach and founder of Heimat Berlin advocates for more vibrato in advertising. For something new to resonate, you have to skillfully shift the familiar. That requires talent, courage, and the ability to listen. When it comes to talent, the best can be found where fewest people look—including in back alleys. And last but not least, he reveals tricks for unleashing your own creativity to its fullest potential.

 

9:45–10:30 a.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Keynote: Don't Be Afraid of Fear!

Prof. Dr. Hennric Jokeit is a neuropsychologist and photographer. In his keynote address, he vividly explains the effects of fear and uncertainty on artistic and creative expression: Using brain scans, he demonstrates what happens when the amygdala sounds the alarm, stress hormones race through the body—and yet, suddenly, a bold idea flashes into mind. Should we avoid fear, and when can we use it productively? The answers at 9:45 a.m.

 

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Keynote: Shaping Creative Intelligence

Layla Keramat As a partner at Prophet, she specializes in Product Experience & Innovation. With an interdisciplinary background as a designer, researcher, and strategist, she leads teams that develop transformative digital experiences. She emphasizes the value of creativity, which must now evolve in new ways to rethink experiences and make meaningful use of technological advances. She also explains how creative leaders can bridge the “discomfort gap” created by the use of AI. Her keynote at 10:30 a.m. is a plea for creative thinking as a force for shaping systems in an increasingly automated world.

 

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Panel: Creativity—A Hard Currency

ADC President Thomas Wildberger will be discussed at 11:15 a.m. with Representatives from client companies and leading creative agencies About how intuition, courage, trust, and loyalty can help bring the best ideas to life and turn clients into allies. An inspiring talk about God and the world of advertising.

 

1:00 – 1:45 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Keynote & Interview: Working Together Toward a Harmonious Goal Despite Many Egos

Creative professionals can learn from the conductor Dr. Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer We can learn from her, because she knows how to turn soloists into outstanding members of an orchestra. She combines passion, crystal-clear instructions, nuanced approaches to achieving her goals, and an understanding of the importance of technique: In a conversation at 1 p.m. with the Music Director of the Swiss Orchestra and Artistic Director of Andermatt Music, we’ll explore the parallels to creative advertising.

 

1:45 – 2:30 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Keynote: On the Impossibility of Always Making Everything Possible.

There are those days when everything just clicks. And then there are the other 350. In her keynote at 1:45 p.m., she talks about Jo Marie Farwick, why creative excellence has nothing to do with random flashes of inspiration, but a lot to do with perseverance, attitude, and humor. Why a “no” is sometimes just the beginning. And why you really shouldn’t stop until it really hurts—not before. An honest, personal, and funny guide for anyone who needs to come up with ideas for work. Or at least pretend to.

 

2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Guston Meeting Room, 1st Floor

Workshop: Make It Count! Getting the News Across with Headlines

Headlines are part of the craft of journalism, in View It’s also, every now and then, a form of art and craftsmanship. Concise, original, provocative—imagination in the service of facts. How do you make yourself as interesting as possible in the shortest amount of time, using just a few words? How do you get to the point in the blink of an eye? There are no set formulas. But there are ideas, suggestions, and tips from Andreas Dietrich, Editor-in-Chief of Blick Print. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll provide insights into the Blick editorial process, featuring many published (and a few unpublished) examples. We’ll show how the creative process unfolds on a daily basis at one of Switzerland’s largest media brands, how much thought goes into those flash-of-genius ideas, and how much heart goes into headlines. The workshop combines inspiration for your own work with creative exercises whose outcomes will hopefully surprise all participants—just as every good headline does.

 

2:30 – 3:00 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Panel: Do's and Don'ts in Music for Advertising

Music is usually what determines whether people watch or swipe past commercials. When it’s perfectly tailored, it enhances the concept and storytelling—and sparks an emotional interest in the advertised product among viewers. The leading Swiss advertising music companies GREAT GARBO, HIT MILL, JINGLE JUNGLE, STORIES participate in the panel discussion Erasmo Palomba (Creative Producer, MIGROS), how to strike the right note, and why using the wrong music in advertising can be disastrous for a media budget.

 

3:00 – 3:30 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Best Case: Switzerland Tourism – Falling for Autumn                 

Switzerland tourism, Wirz

Two stars are rolling around in the fall leaves, and the whole world is watching: Switzerland Tourism’s 2024 fall campaign featuring Roger Federer and Mads Mikkelsen has been viewed millions of times worldwide—with an impressive view-through rate. This was made possible by a well-coordinated team comprising the client, the agency, the director, the cast, and the music. More on this at 3 p.m.

 

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Main Stage, 1st Floor

Panel: The Fun Factor

A panel discussion on the invaluable impact of humor, satire, and parody in the world of advertising: featuring Fabian Unteregger (comedian), Mirjam Fröhlich (Director), Domenico Blass (Author and longtime gag writer for the late-night show *Giacobbo/Müller*) and Raymund Solèr (Mediator).

 

4:00 – 4:45 p.m., Main Stage, 1st Floor

Interview: Building a Brand with International Impact

Madonna, Kourtney Kardashian, Kate Hudson, Halle Berry, Kristen Stewart, and Lady Gaga look beautifully confident in designs by Ezgi Cinar. The Swiss-Turkish creative director doesn’t just design clothes that embody a vision of powerful femininity. Since founding her fashion label, she has been involved in nearly every aspect of her brand. She is also her brand’s best ambassador and uses Instagram—which has gained a global following—as a platform for self-expression and communication. In the talk at 4 p.m., she’ll share insights on how we can become our own sources of inspiration.

 

She sets the pace on Creative Day

Eva Pauline Bossow is an entrepreneur and consultant with many years of experience in the fields of the creative industries, digitalization, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In her projects—which often focus on the «future of work»—she bridges the gap between art, science, and business. At Creative Day 2025, she will serve as moderator, fostering connections: between topics, between speakers—and with the audience.

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