Berlin’s Latest Hot Shop CMD+B Is Committed to Bold Work - the Clue’s In the Name
[Above: Image by Robbie Campbell]
The city of Berlin has a new creative agency rustling around as of this summer, and it comes in the form of CMD+B, founded by Felix Steiner. With many years spent at HeimatTBWA\, most recently as the agency’s head of design, the creative was ready to embark on a new adventure of his own.
Naming the agency after the Apple Mac shortcut for ‘bolding’ text, the agency’s aim is to do just that – create bold work that pushes boundaries, innovates and creates something unique for clients – as Felix says, “After all, we didn’t name ourselves ‘copy and paste’!”. With the project being his steepest learning curve to date, there are many new aspects to the business which he’s had to consider, such as day-to-day operations, finances and creating a business model that benefits not only the agency, but the client too.
Sharing the ways in which he’s innovated to create a modern finance framework, as well as why the city of Berlin was the perfect fit for the agency, Felix sits down with LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> Let’s start off with a little background on yourself and how you got to this point.
Felix> I’ve been in the industry for over a decade now, working in smaller agencies and bigger agencies, the last of which was HeimatTBWA\ in Berlin, which is part of the global TBWA network. I’ve worked as a creative director, head of design and in various other roles, which gave me insight into not only the visual side of things but the broader creative aspects of strategy as well.
I loved working at HeimatTBWA\, with my colleagues, mentors and clients but I decided that it was time to found my own agency and build something for myself. We’re now in the early startup stage and that’s how I ended up here!
LBB> Over the years you’ve been working, how has the creative landscape changed and what were you keen to bring to your own agency?
Felix> There have been some obvious changes – for instance, the media which we use. When I started in the industry, things used to be print-focused, and film-focused, it was the era of 30 second films and out of home campaigns. But what hasn’t changed is more important, which is the love of creativity, the core of ideas and looking for creative solutions for everyday problems.
In the industry, it’s hard to define where creative problem solving ends and begins, from strategic consulting to tapping into different industries and product development, there are so many different creative solutions to solve.
LBB> Where did the company name come from and how did it resonate with the company’s visions and values?
Felix> So the name is the Mac shortcut for creating ‘bold’ text, which I think all the design people in the industry are familiar with. What’s interesting about this is that of course, it represents the visual style – not that everything has to be in a bold typeface – there’s a double meaning of creating bold work, being brave and standing out in the sea of sameness.
This ‘bold’ principle is what we hold up to our work, to have bold ideas which stand out and bold design solutions, that’s what we tell our clients. We want to work with people who are willing to stand out, and do something different - after all, we didn’t name ourselves ‘CMD+C & CMD+V’!
LBB> What’s the first project which is releasing and can you give us some insight into it?
Felix> One of the first pieces of work which will be released soon is a perfect example of our principle of how a bold attitude from our clients results in bold and distinctive communication. It’s for a beverage brand called ‘fermentea’d’. They invented a new product made of fermented kombucha. It not only tastes great, but it’s also 100% natural and vegan and provides natural energy. The interesting thing about this is that it has similar effects as an energy drink, but it isn’t one. So we took this insight and made it the whole communication platform for the product: Not another energy drink.
It’s a holistic approach from brand strategy leading to design and communication. We worked with the fermentea’d team from the packaging over how the brand looks like to the launch campaign for the new product.
[Above: CMD+B campaign for fermentea’d]
LBB> You’re still in the early stages but how have things been so far and have you learnt any valuable lessons already?
Felix> It is quite early but from a personal point of view, it’s the biggest learning curve of my career. It’s broader than taking care of a creative product – or the visual part of it – it’s the founding, the legal stuff, the finances and also how we work with clients. We tried to find new solutions and new, innovative pricing methods which for selected clients, involves long term investments in their business from our side.
One main reason for this is to show how we believe in our work and the effectiveness of it in the end. Sometimes, that gets lost in advertising these days. A more modern approach is to participate in the long term success of an idea rather than just keeping an eye on the quick buck. It’s also easier for startups and smaller companies to work with us, where they don’t have big budgets but we can provide creative solutions which produce things that are similar to that of big budgets. It’s interesting to have a sort of ‘skin in the game’ through this approach, it’s a very different feeling with different solutions.
LBB> Being based in Berlin, what are some of the ways in which the city harnesses creativity and why did you make it your base?
Felix> I was born in Stuttgart but moved to Berlin a while ago to make it my home. Berlin is the most creative hub in Germany right now and for the last few years, the city has been innovating like hell. Big clients and big agencies, especially international ones have come over, but also the German advertising scene is gathering here. With all the different cultures and international influences, it’s sparking creativity as a whole. It’s also become a great hub for talent, the most creative people I’ve met and worked with are based here.
Across music studios, sound engineers, film production, photographers and illustrators – everyone surrounding the advertising bubble – you can find them here. Berlin also competes with other big, creative cities in Europe such as Amsterdam, which is why we chose to create a base here. There’s an energy and a vibe which is attracting people to it.
