with Medina Hrustanbegovic and Fabian Steiner
Senior Digital Media Consultant & Senior Media Consultant & Creative Media Manager
We sat down with Senior Digital Media Consultant Medina Hrustanbegovic (Media 1), and Senior Media Consultant & Creative Media Manager Fabian Steiner (Mediaplus Cologne) to find out more about the Creative Collective.
“I would consider us drivers of innovation. It’s a little bit unusual in a media agency because we normally work in a very figure-driven way.” - Fabian Steiner.
“What is very special about the Creative Collective is that so many different people with different skill sets work together because they have one goal, and this goal is to innovatively combine creativity and media,” – Medina Hrustanbegovic.
The Creative Collective is all about bringing a diverse group of people together for outside-of-the-box thinking that drives creativity and innovation. If you think about Mediaplus as a family event, the Creative Collective table is where you want to sit for all the inspiring stories from your cool aunts and uncles. It’s the place to come and get inspired. When you build a diverse group of people with diverse skill sets, you create this well-rounded machine of creativity, with everyone’s strengths working together in pursuit of a shared goal.
The Creative Collective started in 2016 as “BÄM” Collective and was initiated by a small group of colleagues within Mediaplus. This group of friends joined forces because they wanted to think outside the box for the benefit of their customers. They believed that by thinking in a more creative way, they could generate something special to stand out against the ‘ordinary’ media campaigns that clients see every single day. Over the years, this small group evolved into a collective as more and more people bought into the power of creativity in media. In 2022, Max Schöngen joined the former “BÄM” Collective and restructured it to launch internationally. Fast forward to the present day, and the Creative Collective is active in 12 different countries, with over 50 members worldwide.
“The Creative Collective and innovation go hand in hand. It’s always a developing process. We started as a small group and now we have extended worldwide. It’s cool to see that innovation is also very vivid within our collective.”
The Creative Collective is the perfect mix of organization and creativity. Building a team with lots of different skill sets and backgrounds that complement and enhance each other takes a lot of organization. We have a very structured workflow but walk around with open eyes and open minds. At its heart, the Creative Collective is customer-driven and customer-focused, which allows us to take the time to really get to know what our individual customers need. It’s a real mixture of working in a briefing structure, getting all the relevant information, and then coming together in a brainstorming session and enjoying the results of a creative mix of wide-ranging ideas.
One of the most special things about the Creative Collectives workflow is our focus on the moments of receptivity. Max Schöngen always puts a lot of focus on that side of things, especially during brainstorming and idea processes. That allows us to consistently put the needs of the client above all else, with a focus on solving problems in new and creative ways. We are not thinking about theoretical ideas, because we know people who can make those ideas a reality. We are there from day one because we have the knowledge and skills to bring creative ideas to the table and then execute them effectively.
With the Creative Collective having so many locations and members across Germany and the international markets, a lot of brainstorming sessions happen online. However, there is sometimes a need to see each other in person and feel that face-to-face creative spirit. That is why we have also started the “Accelerator” project, where we spend time visiting local markets to brainstorm with Creative Collective members in person.
“The dream for the Creative Collective is to invest more time aside from the daily media business into creativity.”
One of the cases we are most proud of at the Creative Collective was our work on a homeless art gallery (“The Homeless Gallery”), for which we won an award at the Dutch Media Prize. It was very moving to see how a group of people sitting at their computers can contribute to something bigger that impacts real people in such a significant way. The creative ideas that we shape from our brainstorming sessions can lead to something so much bigger than ourselves, which is a heartwarming thought. Increasing company sales and increasing awareness is the name of the game in media marketing but knowing that we are also able to have an impact on people in “the real world” is an incredible feeling.
The synergy between the Mediaplus agencies and the Creative Collective is based on a contract everyone benefits from. Every agency lends some manpower to the collective, fueling our pool of creative people. And in return, the Creative Collective delivers creative work made in the larger collective back to the agencies - a creative ecosystem.
The Creative Collective is seen as a driver of innovation, but only on a select number of briefings. Whether a client is well-suited to the Creative Collective depends on a number of factors. Is there a potential for creative cases? Is the client open to creative solutions? Is the client open to collaboration? What financial power is involved? It really comes down to whether a client wants to invest in creativity. Admittedly, big ideas sometimes need more money, but creative ideas can be done on a small budget when needed. If a brand is willing to think outside the box, make a stance, and be brave, that is something the Collective encourages. Being the first to do something is always scary but if you do it right you will be able to measure the impact, via awards, customer response, and more. That is exactly what we try to do - maximize impact with media.
“I would really like to give people the chance to have a sneak peek inside the Creative Collective and to experience it for themselves. Having access to all these great colleagues, great minds and all the input that we gain inside of the Creative Collective. Every Mediaplus colleague should experience what it’s like to be a part of the Creative Collective and what it’s like to work so creatively within this team.”
