Gijs van den Berg on Playing with Reality through Photography
With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Gijs van den Berg has spent much of his time at KesselsKramer Amsterdam, working on a variety of campaigns and clients. His attitude towards craft has a DIY nature to it, “I just do and learn along the way,” he says, trusting his own ability to be able to figure things out as he goes.
As a creative who wears many hats, it’s the visual arts that are Gijs’ main passion as he explains where he invests his efforts, “My camera is more expensive than my car.” Having grown up in the small town of Vierlingsbeek in the North Brabant province of the Netherlands, being a ‘creative’ wasn’t something he believed could be a career. Deciding on communications as a degree, it was only after getting to university that he realised the arts were for him. Sticking it out and earning his bachelor's, when he finished, it was advertising that presented an opportunity – and he went with it.
Gijs speaks to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about how he believes creativity should be embedded in all aspects of a business to ensure there’s an element of future-proofing and how his son inspires him to challenge the status quo.
LBB> Where did your career begin? Did you study for the role, fall into it or was it something entirely different?
Gijs> It was a real pain to finish my degree because I found out about art school when I was in my second year of university. But I didn’t want to switch to another university, as it was very expensive. I learned graphic design and photography in my free time and my goal was to finish my bachelor's degree and make some money to be able to afford to go to the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague.
When I finished my bachelor's degree in communications, a classmate (Niek Eijsbouts) wanted to work in advertising and asked me to team up. The deal was he would be able to work on his writing portfolio and I could work on my visual portfolio.
Two months later, while I was finally applying at the Royal Academy, we won our first award, got sent to Cannes and then landed a job at an advertising agency. It took me quite a few years to accept that I would be better off proceeding with this path instead of going back to school. My friend and I ended up working together for about ten years and we made some of our best works together.
LBB> Do you remember some of the formative campaigns you worked on and what it was like to create them?
Gijs> One of the most important projects I worked on at KesselsKramer was a campaign to raise awareness for organ donation. In the Netherlands, the system was made the way that you actively had to say ‘yes’ in order to become a donor. We spent four years trying to find every possible way to motivate people to become a donor. It became one of the most efficient campaigns I ever worked on: it was awarded an Effie and a Guinness World Record (for raising the most organ donor registrations within 24 hours). But most of all, it was fun to work on such an impactful project with a very small team. Besides being the art director on the project, I started to direct TV commercials myself and took photographs for the campaigns. The project gave me a lot of confidence to use all the DIY things I learned in a professional environment.
LBB> What does creativity mean to you?
Gijs> To me, it’s probably just as important as oxygen. If I don’t create I get depressed. My life is built around creativity. I have one rule when buying new things: If I can create something with it, it will justify the price. My camera is more expensive than my car.
LBB> Can you tell us a little about the creative scene in Amsterdam? How has it changed over the years?
Gijs> When I joined KesselsKramer in 2009, we were a bit of an odd agency in the creative scene. We worked on art projects, made products, films and did a lot of international work. The majority of the Amsterdam-based agencies simply didn’t work for international clients and found it hard to label us as an agency with all that we did. But I’ve seen this change quite rapidly with international talent moving to Amsterdam. And with the acceptance that creativity can be a driving force in all phases of business development.
LBB> What about some of the current trends that you’re seeing in the market?
Gijs> Forward-thinking businesses no longer consult creatives just for their advertising and communication challenges. Creativity has become accepted on many layers of the business. The pandemic was a painful realisation that without sincere emotional engagement, your audience just doesn’t care much about you as a brand. Creatives can help brands show they really care about their audience and the world we live in. And if done well, this will come back. Karma.
AI aside, during the last decade creativity has been put under pressure by the ever growing army of performance marketeers and behavioural scientists. Everything goes in cycles, these days you see more marketeers are realising the power and effectivity of good creative ideas. At KesselsKramer we feel the increasing demand for original ideas.
LBB> How about some recent pieces of work that are particularly significant?
Gijs> KesselsKramer recently made a campaign for Monopoly that I think shows that honesty can lead to surprisingly effective campaigns. Always question the status quo.
When Casetify approached us to make a campaign for their newest phone case, the amount of features presented was really clouding the benefit of the product which was actual: clarity. So we made a very clear campaign.
Also, this one isn’t a campaign, but a program for the industry that I’m excited about called ‘PlusPlusOne’. Check it out here.
LBB> Creatives tend to be inspired by a lot of different things, art, music, travel, and others around them. Where do you find your personal creative inspiration?
Gijs> I like to look for inspiration outside of the mainstream. I have listened (and still listen) to a lot of punk rock music. I work in advertising, which sometimes can be seen as opportunistic, but I am very aware of the problems we are facing in the world. People like Chris Hannah (frontman of Propagandhi) and Tom Rheault (vocalist of No Trigger) remind me to use my creativity for good. Also, the daily questions I get asked by my five-year-old son about the world we live in make me question the status quo a lot.
LBB> What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt through your years in the industry? Can you pass some advice on to people who might just be starting out?
Gijs> If you ask yourself: ‘Who is going to make this work amazing? Who is going to win this pitch? Who will elevate this idea to something larger than life?’ It’s always you. Meaning that, even if you work in a team, you should look to the other person. It is your energy that is going to be the driving force of a project. If all team members think like that, the accumulation of energy will help to make the best work you’ve ever made.
LBB> Balance is always important, so what do you spend your time away from your desk doing? Are there any hobbies or interests which take up your time?
Gijs> My life is about creating things. When I’m not in the office, I’m working on my art projects. I do a lot of photography where I like to play with reality, and always have a thing going. Also, I play in a ‘90s skate punk band and compose music. While I have quite a full agenda, I like to spend as much time as possible with my son, he is an amazing human being that helps me with seeing things from a different perspective.
Very abstract drawing by my son:
