What has your journey into Edelman looked like and how did you get into the communications industry?
We’ve both had our eyes on the creative industry since we were teenagers. Sabine in a more visual German way, Oscar in a more wordy Swedish way. We met through Miami Ad School back in 2011. Since then we’ve worked at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB NY, Anomaly NY, Mother, and most recently Grey London. One day we met Martin (Creative Director at Edelman London) through mutual friends at a pub. He told us about how Edelman is building a creative department that can compete with top ad agencies, which excited us. Awards are largely judged on earned media and impressions so there should be a massive opportunity for PR agencies to compete. It felt like we stumbled on a secret that most creatives don’t know about, so when Martin asked if we should set up an interview, we jumped on.
What achievement are you most proud of?
IKEA’s Buyback Friday, because it was big, bold and made a real difference. Green Light Signal for National Grid because it was simple and geeky.
What do you find most rewarding about the job?
When it comes to earned, literally any type of idea can be THE idea. Whether it’s a film, a digital tool, an art piece, or an initiative. The ideas that often got brushed away as “maybe for year-three” when we worked at ad agencies are the projects we now put in production. We also love the serious commitment to tension and purpose. We always push to make sure there’s a reason for a campaign to exist and a reason for people to care. That might sound obvious but if you don’t hold on to those two, they’ll almost always slip away at some point.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced throughout your time at Edelman?
Process is different from what we’re used to. At ad agencies, creative is the main product, so creatives are very much involved at every step. Edelman offers so much more, so creative services can be seen as an ‘extra’ or something that you bring in further down the line. But we’re getting more integrated, more involved, and more teams are seeing the value in bringing creatives along from the start. Good things happen when we work together.
How do you stay motivated?
We just recently started judging creative awards and seeing all the exciting ideas from young creatives is both inspiring and motivating. And every new bit of technology opens so many doors for what we can do, it never gets boring. However, the best way to stay motivated is to surround yourself with driven people who work toward the same goal as you. For us that’s to create great work that makes our clients and our company famous. (And, yeah, ourselves too.)
If you could offer one piece advice to someone considering a role at Edelman Creative, what would it be?
Leave your ego behind. Good ideas can come from anybody, everywhere. Be kind. Be human. Work hard. We’re a big, well-run organisation but the creative department is still building a reputation so we still have a sense of underdog hunger. That hunger has been paying off both through new business and awards, so be excited to beat the hot shops where they don’t see it coming. Another thing we love about Edelman is that it’s a family-owned company with the gravity of a network. It’s personal, so big decisions are made with a healthy mix of pragmatism and empathy. Maybe that’s where the human side comes in. Or maybe we’re just a couple of saps.
What do you do outside work to relax?
Pub and twiglets.
Sabine Stromsky and Oscar Muller are Associate Directors in the Creative team
