At award-winning, international agency Innocean Berlin, better is the motto. Committed to their ethos of delivering better ideas for clients and a better working atmosphere, Innocean Berlin taps into its multicultural roots for inspiration. Jonathan Hill, Chief Operating Officer at Innocean Berlin, gives us a glimpse at what gives the agency its competitive edge.
Innocean was set up originally to service Hyundai, with roots in South Korea. How has the agency evolved since inception?
Innocean began 18 years ago, focused on media. Since its inception, the agency has constantly evolved its capabilities. Now, we see an agency with strong performance in brand experience, sports marketing, social media, retail, strategic consultancy, and - central to Innocean Berlin’s offering - creative brand and product advertising campaigns across all channels. Perhaps we are not a full-service agency, but we are a full-thinking agency, applying the same rigorous approach across whatever tasks we put ourselves to.
Your lead creative agency is Innocean in Berlin. Please describe the structure of the team in Berlin, your offering / strengths and geographic reach.
Innocean Berlin is based in a German city, but it is not a German agency. We are an agency for Europe and the world. Our initial objective was to create advertising to support Hyundai and Kia in every European market, and that continues. One of our specialisms is bringing brands from outside of Europe into Europe and establishing them in its many markets. What we have done with Hyundai and Kia, we have also accomplished with Japan’s Sony Bravia and USA’s Manscaped, amongst others.
How do you evangelize brands and search consultants that you are more than an in-house agency for Kia and Hyundai?
Our message to everybody is the same; we are a unique combination of Korean tenacity, Brazilian passion, and Berlin zeitgeist. Our Korean roots are incredibly important to us. But that unique combination is relevant for any and every brand that believes in the power of creativity.
Innocean’s work ‘Anne Frank House / The Bookcase for Tolerance’ is technically very impressive and emotionally impactful. Where did the inspiration for the work come from?
As the most international agency in Berlin (probably Europe), it's natural that we have a myriad of cultures and backgrounds within our walls, a fact that not only gives us a competitive edge when delivering ideas that resonate on a world scale, but also when tackling briefs like this one, from Anne Frank House. One of their main missions is to fight any form of intolerance and discrimination, so who better to look for a solution than agency that houses so many different nationalities and religions? One aspect that surely inspired our team is the fact that we're all living in Berlin - a city deeply populated by memorials erected as consequence of intolerant regimes. They serve as a daily reminder of what happens when extremism and discrimination aren't properly addressed.
What does your growth plan look like for this year?
The most important aspect about our growth plan is that we don’t just look at it quantitatively; we also look at it qualitatively. We are a creative agency, and we like to challenge the norms of the markets in which we operate with our creativity. We are always on the lookout for clients with the same ambition.