Agency check: Brinkertlück Creatives

• Name: Brinkertlück Creatives
• Establishment date: 01.01.2021
• Founder: Dennis Lück + Raphael Brinkert
• Agency Heads: Dennis Lück + Raphael Brinkert
• Employees: 60
• Current customers (Switzerland): Zurich Insurance, Graubündner Kantonalbank, Feldschlösschen (Pepsi & Valaisanne), Swisscom, Ex Libris, JobRad incl. SC Freiburg, Dr. Oetker, World Vision, Swiss Post, Volksbund, Graubünden Ferien, Switzerland Tourism, Greenfield, Frauenzentrale Zürich, Arosa Lenzerheide, Aargau Tourism
• Locations: Zurich/Chur

m&k: Which campaign from the past twelve months are you particularly proud of?

Dennis Lück: Wow, that question is almost as bad as "Which child is your favorite?". We promote women's football with Pepsi, we awaken the joy of reading with Ex Libris, we ensure the best future with GKB. There are quite a few. But my current highlight is a campaign for Graubünden Ferien in cooperation with ÖKK. Because the air in Graubünden is so healthy, you can submit an overnight stay in a hotel to your health insurance company, i.e. ÖKK, and get the costs easily reimbursed. Whether you are a customer or not. This is, of course, a creative stroke of genius.

 

The most important campaign in agency history to date - and why?

I have to mention two campaigns. Firstly, the campaign that accompanied Olaf Scholz's candidacy for chancellor four years ago. That immediately put us on the radar and ended with us being voted "Agency of the Year". And secondly, the strategic repositioning of GKB here in Switzerland. Just two hours after the company was founded, GKB became a client of ours and still is today. That's a wonderful and very unifying story.

 

The most unusual place where your creatives retreat to be creative?

Everyone works differently. Here at the agency, the couch corner is particularly popular. As soon as it gets warmer, people go out into our garden in front of the door. For me, it's quite unspectacular: desk, coffee and off we go. Only the time is unusual for me as a creative. I start at five o'clock every day.

What do you do when you have thought blocks?

Apply pressure, crack the whip, shout. No, joking aside. Honestly: I have never, never, never experienced a mental block. Really never. That doesn't work at all in a functioning team. There are so many tools, such as creativity techniques, that this never happens.

 

What is your agency philosophy?

Value agency instead of just advertising agency. We don't do advertising for dried powder tomato soups. But if you want to create a small, subtle or large social value, please come to us.

 

Why should talented people definitely come to work for you?

The topic of values also plays a major role here. We are not just pretty on the outside, but also on the inside. Talented people are encouraged and coached here and have immediate responsibility. Everyone here receives a management solution for the pension fund. Everyone here is entitled to a bonus. If we work well together, we also benefit together. That makes us absolutely unique on the market.

"We are not only pretty on the outside, but also on the inside."

 

How long do employees stay with you on average?

Our staff turnover is ultra-low. Half of all people have been with us since the company was founded in 2021.

 

How old is your youngest employee, and how old is your oldest?

Our youngest team member is 19 and the oldest 61. Our team structure is genuine and naturally diverse. In other words, we have talented players from England, Portugal, Germany, Austria and even Aargau (laughs). Joking aside. It's nice to see that a culture of performance knows no age, origin or anything else here.

 

How high are the wages you pay compared to the industry average?

As a still young agency, we pay good and fair basic wages. And as I said: if the cash register is ringing overall, then it will also ring for each individual. That depends on us. What's more, we also pay "invisible money", i.e. our top pension solutions for everyone.

 

Pay transparency: Do employees know among themselves who earns how much?

You already sensed it in the previous question: I have to be transparent internally, not externally. We don't have mandated pay transparency, but of course there is talk here and there, and that's totally okay.

 

How long do you get maternity leave and how long paternity leave?

Half of our team has children - from toddlers to teenagers. In general, we adhere to all legal requirements. However, we have a sensationally understanding approach to family issues. Family first is always the motto. For myself and for everyone else.

 

What are your home office regulations?

We have two fixed office days, Mondays and Wednesdays, otherwise you can choose whether you want to come to the agency. But half of the team is almost always there. This is probably due to the charm of our brick building - a former ETH library, by the way.

 

Do you employ interns?

Yes, of course. We are currently looking for support in project management and, from August, again for the graphics department.

 

What is the current quota of women?

Exactly 50 percent across all levels, i.e. from management to interns. And that has naturally grown without a self-imposed quota. That's how it should be.

 

Do you organize team events?

There are lots of small and spontaneous events. From concerts to ice hockey matches or just a beer and pizza to large and planned team events, everything is included. For example, we celebrated our last Christmas party with our colleagues from Hamburg in Gerold's garden. In March, we're going back to Graubünden. The air is so good there (see first answer).

Where do you drink your after-work beer?

In our beautiful garden. From this year onwards, we will be making schnapps and jam from our fruit. Homemade, of course.

 

Which mandates are currently keeping you most busy?

This is Zurich Insurance with its new strategic orientation. A lot is happening there and it's a real pleasure to see where and how the brand is developing. Closely followed by JobRad, which we also support from Switzerland. The annual campaign and sponsorship campaign for and with SC Freiburg are on the agenda. And of course the election campaign in Germany. This is also keeping us on our toes and giving us a great start to the year.

 

When did you realize that you would have to start the advertising campaign for the SPD and chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz much earlier than expected? Did you find out about it at the same time as us normal citizens or were you informed in advance that the traffic light was going to burst?

No, we didn't find out earlier.

 

How did you strategically organize the election campaign?

Our campaign is called "More for you. Better for Germany". The campaign therefore focuses entirely on the content of the election program. We want to get as many people as possible to engage with the content. Because that is where the SPD's strength lies. The program is well thought out, promotes the common good, strengthens the economy, takes care of pensions - and all this with a carefully calculated plan. There are others who like to miscalculate by almost 100 billion euros.

 

How did you manage the timing?

We have set up a highly efficient, highly creative team that focuses solely on this. And we are used to high-speed operations, not just from election campaigns.

 

The films have been shot, how do you react to the last few weeks, do you have to adapt?

Now is the time to always be ready to react. It sounds like little time, but so much can still happen. One wrong sentence from a candidate and the situation is completely different. The reactive part is therefore extremely important now and, depending on the situation, may even be "match-decisive". The high-speed mode is therefore valid until February 23, 2025.

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This article first appeared in print issue 1-2/2025. The interview was conducted before the 2025 federal election.