A real old hand
Björn Brinkmann has been the new CD at Lowe Direct since early March.
Björn Brinkmann has been the new Creative Director at Lowe Direct since early March. When an avid sailor moves from the coast to Lake Zurich, there must be a compelling reason. Björn Brinkmann has good reasons. Perhaps the most important one: the prospect of working closely with a traditional agency at Lowe Direct, and thus the opportunity to collaborate as one team. Lowe Direct’s new Creative Director had already served as Creative Director at Grey CC in Hamburg before he accepted the call to Zurich. «The »CC« at Grey doesn’t stand for »Chaos Communication,« but for »Complete Communication,’” jokes Björn Brinkmann as he takes an imaginary walk down memory lane through his professional career. It comes as no surprise that the career of this dialogue specialist from Germany is continuing in Zurich. In earlier years—while working for German agencies—he frequently collaborated with companies in Zurich, such as Euro RSCG and FCB Leutenegger Krüll. He would spend several months at a time there and admits that he became “hooked” on Switzerland and its friendly atmosphere.
Brinkmann discovered his love for working creatively with text as early as middle school—though at that point, it was limited to the school newspaper. But not for long.
He trained as an advertising executive «to lay the right foundation for the whole thing.» Brinkmann then worked as a copywriter at various agencies—deliberately including small ones—so that he could «get to know all aspects of advertising.» Despite his training, however, he always worked on the creative side at the agencies. Nevertheless, he is convinced that «to produce good creative work, you also need an understanding of the client’s business concerns and perspectives, especially in the field of dialogue marketing.».
For the die-hard advertiser, the trend is moving more toward dialogue—rather than back to traditional advertising methods. «But both must come together, because you can’t build a strong brand through dialogue alone.» He is drawn to the ever-expanding possibilities of his advertising discipline. «There are far more platforms where you can operate: email, promotional text messages.» Multilevel marketing offers more than just coupons, although coupons will always remain relevant. «But the coupon is just one of many new possibilities.» These are insights he has gained from his experience working for Quelle and Otto Versand.
In Germany, Brinkmann has worked for companies including Credit Suisse, AOL, Postbank, and T-Mobile. His knowledge of the telecommunications market is one of the reasons he was recruited by Lowe Direct. He is currently heavily involved with Orange. What appeals to him is the fact that the telephone providers« offerings are virtually indistinguishable from one another. »In this market, it’s rewarding to be able to stand out a bit more and make an impact through creative work.” He has won numerous awards at the German Dialog Marketing Awards for his work with T-Mobile and other clients.
In addition to his hometown of Hamburg, he appreciates the microcosm that is Zurich. «There’s a sense of security here.» Sailor Brinkmann hopes to quickly find someone who will hire him for a regatta on Lake Zurich or Lake Constance. The advertising executive from the coast has plenty of experience at sea. Brinkmann has even sailed across the Atlantic before.
Andreas Panzeri
Brinkmann discovered his love for working creatively with text as early as middle school—though at that point, it was limited to the school newspaper. But not for long.
He trained as an advertising executive «to lay the right foundation for the whole thing.» Brinkmann then worked as a copywriter at various agencies—deliberately including small ones—so that he could «get to know all aspects of advertising.» Despite his training, however, he always worked on the creative side at the agencies. Nevertheless, he is convinced that «to produce good creative work, you also need an understanding of the client’s business concerns and perspectives, especially in the field of dialogue marketing.».
For the die-hard advertiser, the trend is moving more toward dialogue—rather than back to traditional advertising methods. «But both must come together, because you can’t build a strong brand through dialogue alone.» He is drawn to the ever-expanding possibilities of his advertising discipline. «There are far more platforms where you can operate: email, promotional text messages.» Multilevel marketing offers more than just coupons, although coupons will always remain relevant. «But the coupon is just one of many new possibilities.» These are insights he has gained from his experience working for Quelle and Otto Versand.
In Germany, Brinkmann has worked for companies including Credit Suisse, AOL, Postbank, and T-Mobile. His knowledge of the telecommunications market is one of the reasons he was recruited by Lowe Direct. He is currently heavily involved with Orange. What appeals to him is the fact that the telephone providers« offerings are virtually indistinguishable from one another. »In this market, it’s rewarding to be able to stand out a bit more and make an impact through creative work.” He has won numerous awards at the German Dialog Marketing Awards for his work with T-Mobile and other clients.
In addition to his hometown of Hamburg, he appreciates the microcosm that is Zurich. «There’s a sense of security here.» Sailor Brinkmann hopes to quickly find someone who will hire him for a regatta on Lake Zurich or Lake Constance. The advertising executive from the coast has plenty of experience at sea. Brinkmann has even sailed across the Atlantic before.
Andreas Panzeri
